Four killed in Peru quake, thousands homeless

LIMA, Peru - A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake that shook Peru's northern jungle over the weekend has killed four people and made several thousand homeless, regional authorities said on Monday.

The quake hit on Sunday evening at 8.55pm (1.55pm NZT on Monday) and its epicentre was 90km northeast of the coffee-growing town of Moyobamba.

The most damage was made in the nearby hilltop town of Lamas in San Martin region, where a 72-year-old woman, a 9-year-old boy and a man were killed, Lamas Mayor Rafael Saavedra told CPN radio.

A woman in the neighbouring La Libertad region died when her house collapsed on top of her, rescue workers said.

"In Lamas, we've got 102 destroyed homes and another 498 houses that are uninhabitable, which leaves 3000 people homeless right now," Saavedra said.

President Alejandro Toledo arrived in Lamas on Monday afternoon to survey the damage and the central government sent doctors, blankets, tents, food and medicine to the area, officials said.

The quake was felt strongly in Lima, 715km to the south, where people ran out of their houses in fright.

In Moyobamba, which is also a major flower and tobacco growing area, a police spokesman said the walls of some buildings had collapsed, including parts of the prison, but the inmates were accounted for.

Radio reports said residents in Moyobamba, afraid of aftershocks, slept in the streets.

Quakes of such magnitude are capable of causing serious damage in urban areas.

A huge 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck southern Peru in 2001, killing 78 people, including 26 by a tsunami, and causing some US$300 million ($442m) in damages.

Peru's deadliest quake, in 1970, registered a magnitude of 7.9 and killed 70,000.

- REUTERS