Strong 7.5-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Peru

LIMA, Peru (AP) _ A powerful earthquake shook Peru's southern coast on Wednesday, toppling some houses in Lima and sparking a tsunami warning for South America's central Pacific coast. <br/><br/>The

Wednesday, August 15th 2007, 9:43 pm

By: News On 6

LIMA, Peru (AP) _ A powerful earthquake shook Peru's southern coast on Wednesday, toppling some houses in Lima and sparking a tsunami warning for South America's central Pacific coast.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit about 90 miles southeast of Lima at a depth of about 25 miles.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a ``regional tsunami warning and watch'' for coastal areas of Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia as well as a tsunami advisory for the U.S. state of Hawaii. But the center stressed that it did not know if a tsunami had been generated.

There were no immediate reports of any serious injuries.

An Associated Press photographer said that some homes had collapsed in the center of Lima and that many people had fled into the streets for safety. Another AP reporter said the quake shook the capital for more than a minute.

Local firefighters said that street lights collapsed and windows shattered in Lima but did not specify if there were any injuries. Workers were evacuated from Lima office buildings after the quake struck and remained outside in open areas, fearing aftershocks

Callers to Radio Programas, Peru's main news station, said parts of several cities in southern Peru had been hit with blackouts.