Peru declares state of emergency for quake hit areas

Peru declared a 60-day state of emergency in various areas Friday, two days after a powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the country's southern coast. The measure, announced by Peru's council of ministers, aims to respond to needs in the country's vast southern region where mud houses collapsed in rural areas in three departments. Teams from the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI) are evaluating people's health and providing health services, said Prime Minister Juan Jimenez, who toured the area Thursday. Emergency work will center on housing infrastructure, transportation links, schools and basic services affected by the earthquake, which civil defense workers say left at least six people injured. Jimenez said the authorities were focusing on the water supply in damaged towns and that he has instructed regional governments to coordinate with civil defense workers. The earthquake, which hit just before noon on Wednesday, occurred in the Pacific Ocean, with an epicenter 72 kilometers (45 miles) south of the town of Lomas.