Peruvian Quake Victims Need Urgent Aid

People in Pisco, the city most affected by an earthquake that killed at least 437 Peruvians, need water, medicine and shelter, but also need coffins.

Pisco residents spoke out their demand to President Alan Garcia on Thursday, when he visited the city, 155 miles south of Lima, to assess the damage caused by the earthquake and take emergency measures.

The head of State monitored the arrival of food, medicines and other emergency aid, and said that 150 coffins were on their way to Pisco by road.

Garcia walked between the bodies on the floor at the city's Arms Square, as their relatives were demanding permission to bury them.

Due to legal obstacles that prevent quick burials in Pisco, Ica and Chincha, Attorney General Adelaida Bolivar instructed authorities to simplify the procedures to release the bodies to their relatives.

The initial aid, consisting of food and blankets benefited some 300 quake victims sheltered at Pisco's stadium, where most of 16,669 families are staying. A similar number of houses were destroyed, according to the Civil Defense Institute.

The CDI said that 437 were killed and more than 800 wounded by the earthquake, but the number of deaths is expected to increase as the debris is removed and inspections reach faraway towns.

Due to the great damage caused by the earthquake, the government decreed three days of national morning, took emergency measures to take care of the victims and called the people to collect food, medicines and other emergency aid.