At least 337 people have been killed by a powerful earthquake on the Peruvian coast.
The 7.9 quake hit the coastal province of Ica last night and was followed by four aftershocks, ranging between 5.4 and 5.9 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey.
Buildings collapsed and power lines and roads were destroyed by the tremor, with 827 people injured in Ica, some 165 miles south of the capital, Lima.
The force of the quake was such that chaos reigned in Lima, with shaking structures driving hundreds onto the city streets.
Talking to BBC News, a Lima resident commented: "Usually you don't feel a tremor when outside, but the pavement was rippling, so I fled to the park where the ground continued to move under our feet."
She added: "What was even more frightening was the roar of the quake coupled with the sky lighting up. It was surreal - if felt like we had stepped onto the set of some war movie."
President Alan Garcia said: "We have declared a state of emergency in Ica province and we are going this evening to ensure that regional and local governments, civil defense institutions and ministries can spend what they need to, rapidly and immediately, in order to solve the problems that exist there."
