A powerful earthquake,
measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, occurred on Sunday night, September
25, 2005 in the Moyabamba province of Peru. The affected area is located
700 kilometers northeast of Lima. The quake lasted approximately 30
seconds and was felt throughout a radius of 800 kilometers, including
parts of Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.
The greatest damages
was concentrated in the city and province of Lamas, San Martin Region.
Other areas affected are Boliva, Chachapoyas, Yurimaguas, Moyamba
and Rioja. According to the latest reports from the National Civil
Defense five persons were killed, 67 injured and 1,103 families affected.
617 houses have been totally destroyed and other 486 damaged. The
assessment only covers the urban and semi-urban areas as the rural
areas have not been accessed due to damages of the roads and the communications
networks.
The greatest damage
has been to adobe houses (which are the majority in the area) and
to schools. No damage has been detected to the water supply systems.
Electrical service (although limited in the area) is functioning.
Immediate relief assistance is being provided by the government and
the Red Cross.
ACT members in
Peru Centre for Studies and Disaster Prevention (PREDES), Evangelical
Lutheran Association for Aid to Community Development (DIACONIA) and
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) working as ACT Peru, have deployed
a team to the affected area to assess the situation and determine
if ACT intervention is needed.
