Chaos in Peru After Quake

More expected as rescuers dig through rubble

(NEWSER) - The death toll from a powerful earthquake that devastated a province in Peru has reached 450, but the numbers are expected to rise even higher as rescuers dig through rubble. At least 1,500 have been injured. Government doctors have called off a national strike to care for the wounded, and the UN, US and EU have rushed to Peru's aid. More»

Huge death toll likely from 7.0 temblor; Obama promises aid

(NEWSER) - Scores of buildings have collapsed in Haiti after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near the capital, Port-au-Prince, today, and was followed by a number of strong aftershocks, with two measuring 5.5 or higher. There’s no yet word on what’s expected to be a high death toll. An AP videographer saw the wrecked hospital in nearby Petionville, and a US government official reported seeing houses that had tumbled into a ravine. More»

(NEWSER) - The death toll in today’s Italian earthquake rose to more than 150 as rescue workers and volunteers continued the search for survivors, the Times reports. About 15,000 buildings were damaged, and residents are being warned to stay away until engineers can evaluate them. “We are working without stopping for breath,” a Red Cross official said. “We believe there may be hundreds of people still alive underneath.” More»

Foreign medical workers arrive as focus shifts toward aiding survivors

(NEWSER) - The official quake death toll climbed to nearly 40,000 in China’s Sichuan province today, the Guardian reports, as foreign medical teams and equipment arrived on the scene. Relief efforts began shifting away from finding survivors to aiding the more than 200,000 injured and 5 million left homeless. Russia, Taiwan, Japan, the US, Germany, and Italy had all sent rescue workers. More»

Peruvians on the move for food and water

(NEWSER) - Desperate residents of Peruvian towns destroyed by a powerful quake and taken over by looters are fleeing to seek resources, Reuters reports. Lines of trucks piled with furniture rumbled to relatives and friends for help. Some 1,000 soldiers are now safequarding aid trucks in the area where more than 500 have died, but many survivors still have no food or water. More»