5 Killed, 50 Injured as Quake Shakes Peru
A series of strong earthquakes jarred the ancient Incan capital of Cuzco on Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring 50, the municipal government reported.
It said two adults and three childrens were crushed when the walls of their adobe homes on the outskirts of the city crumbled.
Cuzco, 350 miles southeast of Lima, has been crowded with tourists because of its vantage point for viewing Halley’s Comet, the city government said, but it had no reports of any foreigners being among the quake victims.
People fled into the streets as the quakes shattered windows, cracked walls, broke water pipes and cut off electricity in some areas.
Killed were two girls, aged 5 and 8, the mother of one of the girls, a soldier and the soldier’s brother.
City officials said five quakes and aftershocks struck Cuzco between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The strongest of the quakes measured 5.5 on the Richter scale.
According to a 1981 census, Cuzco city, located in a valley of the Andes Mountains, had a population of nearly 182,000 and Cuzco province 832,500.
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