Peru quake injures hundreds, damages homes and the cathedral

According to Peruvian authorities, a quake has destroyed 134 homes 103 people have been admitted to  hospitals for injuries as a result of a 6.9 magnitude quake that struck just off the central coast of the country.

LIMA, PERU (Catholic Online) - Luckily according to authorities, there are no reports of deaths. Most of the homes which collapsed did so because they were poorly constructed and made of adobe.

In addition to the damaged homes, an 18th-century cathedral for the provincial capital of Ica, was reported damaged. The cathedral was originally built by the Jesuits and suffered damage in least three other major quakes, taking place in 1813, 1942, and 2007. Authorities are reporting that it, and another nearby church were too damaged to use.

The Peruvian president, Ollanta Humana announced that he would immediately depart Paraguay where he was attending a summit conference, to return and visit the quake zone. 

Many of the locals remain afraid, since in that same region 600 people were killed following an 8.0 magnitude quake which struck in August of 2007. Both locals and authorities are reporting that most of the population slept outside on Friday night as aftershocks continued to hammer the region. The US Geological Survey has supported at least nine aftershocks followed Friday's quake with the most significant aftershock measures as a 5.5 in magnitude.

Many of the damaged and destroyed homes were hastily rebuilt following the '07 quake.
Cristhian Rodriguez, a local vendor told reporters "the people are tense and a lot of us didn't sleep."

The government has announced that at least two Army engineering battalions are being deployed to join police to support residents who lost their homes. The estimated number of destroyed homes is 1,220.

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