Magnitude 7.9 earthquake jolts Peru
Reuters
5:22 PM PDT, August 15, 2007
LIMA - Two powerful earthquakes within minutes of each other struck Peru Wednesday shaking buildings in the capital and cutting power in some areas.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 7.9, hit about 20 miles west of Chincha Alta, at a shallow 11.2 miles
from the earth's surface, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
It said the second had a magnitude of 7.5.
Office buildings in Lima shook in at least two different bouts that lasted around 20 seconds each, and workers ran out into the streets in fear, witnesses said.
The USGS says earthquakes measuring more than 7 magnitude often result in fatalities.