7.9 quake claims at least 71 in Peru

LIMA, Peru — A powerful earthquake shook Peru's coast near the capital on Wednesday, toppling some buildings and setting off landslides.

Authorities said the quake generated a tsunami but it wasn't destructive.

A government official says the earthquake killed at least 71 people and injured 680.

Peru's highly respected Cable news station Canal N reported that the 7.9 magnitude quake had caused a church to collapse in the city of Ica south of Lima, killing 17 people and injuring 70.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit at 6:40 p.m. (5:40 p.m. MDT) about 90 miles southeast of Lima at a depth of about 25 miles. Four strong aftershocks ranging from magnitudes of 5.4 to 5.9 were felt.

Several hours later, President Alan Garcia said in a nationwide broadcast that it apparently had not caused a catastrophe.

"Thank you God Almighty, these terrible quakes did not cause a high death toll like in other years," he said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the coasts of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. A tsunami watch was issued for the rest of Central America and Mexico and an

advisory for Hawaii.

The center canceled all the alerts after about two hours, but it said the quake had caused an estimated 10-inch tsunami near the epicenter.

"It wasn't big enough to be destructive," said Stuart Weinstein, the center's assistant director.

An Associated Press photographer said that some homes had collapsed in the center of Lima and that many people had fled into the streets for safety. The capital shook for more than a minute.

"This is the strongest earthquake I've ever felt," said Maria Pilar Mena, 47, a sandwich vendor in Lima. "When the quake struck, I thought it would never end."

In his comments, Garcia did not give a death toll but said there were at least 70 confirmed injured.

He ordered all police personnel to the streets of Lima to keep order and said he was sending the country's health minister and two other Cabinet members to Ica, 165 miles southeast of Lima, where news reports said the quake hit hardest. Garcia also said public schools will be closed Thursday because the buildings may be unsafe.

Police reported that large boulders shook loose from hills and were blocking the country's Central Highway east of Lima.