Tag: Peru

7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off Peru, tsunami threat over: USGS

#UPDATE A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of central Peru on Friday, the United States Geological Survey says, but a tsunami threat from the tremor has passed. The USGS said the tremor hit 8.8 kilometers (5.5 miles) from Atiquipa district. Peru lies on the… pic.twitter.com/kWA4iETyxG — AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 28, 2024 LIMA, June 28, 2024 (AFP) – A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of central Peru on Friday, the […]

Earthquake of magnitude 6.3 strikes off southern Peru

LIMA, June 17, 2024 (AFP) – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern Peru on Sunday but there was no immediate threat of tsunami, government scientists said. The Geophysical Institute of Peru said the quake was centered in the Pacific at a depth of 25 kilometers (16 miles) off the coast of Arequipa department. The government decided against activating the tsunami warning system. The US Geological Survey put the magnitude 6.0 and […]

President of Peru’s home raided over undeclared Rolex watches: police

LIMA, March 30, 2024 (AFP) – Peruvian authorities raided President Dina Boluarte’s home on Saturday as part of an ongoing corruption investigation related to undisclosed luxury watches. According to a police document obtained by AFP, about 40 officials were involved in the raid, which was searching for Rolex watches that Boluarte had not publicly declared. The raid “is for the purpose of search and seizure,” police said. The embattled president did not appear to be […]

Peru frees Fujimori following death squad pardon

LIMA, Dec 7, 2023 (AFP) – Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, 85, was freed from prison on Wednesday after a court reinstated a pardon of his 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity. Fujimori, who served from 1990 to 2000 and is now in poor health, left the Barbadillo prison in Lima and was greeted by his children Keiko, a three time failed presidential hopeful, and Kenji, a businessman. The elder Fujimori wore nasal tubes providing […]

Peru bus plunges into ravine, killing 25

LIMA, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – A bus plummeted from the edge of a narrow mountain road in southeastern Peru on Monday, killing 25 people including two children, according to authorities. The accident occurred before dawn when the bus traveling between two Andean towns careened down a 200-meter (656-foot) ravine in the region of Huancavelica, a police official told AFP. “The toll is 25 dead and 34 injured,” Defense Minister Jorge Chavez said. Images of […]

Peru volcano rumbles to life, spews ash on towns

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s Ubinas volcano, active again after four dormant years, blew its top twice on Tuesday, showering nearby towns with ash, the country’s IGP geophysical institute said. One of Peru’s most active volcanoes, Ubinas started a new eruption on June 24, emitting gas and ash puffs. On Tuesday, two eruptions blew ash some 5,500 meters (3.4 miles) into the sky. The ash settled over the southern Peruvian districts of Ubinas and Matalaque, […]

With bows and spears, Indigenous ‘warriors’ defend the Amazon

By Hervé BAR Agence France-Presse JAVARI, Brazil (AFP) — In a remote pocket of the Brazilian Amazon under siege from illegal fishermen, poachers, loggers and drug traffickers, Indigenous people have taken it upon themselves to defend the land and its resources. With bows, arrows and spears, young men of the Sao Luis village patrol the Javari River by motorboat in the valley of the same name. They call themselves the “Warriors of the Forest,” the […]

Peru seizes cocaine bricks wrapped in Nazi insignia

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Anti-narcotics officers in Peru seized 58 kilograms of cocaine headed for Belgium in packages bearing Nazi symbols and the name Hitler, police said on Thursday. The drugs were hidden in 50 packages the size of bricks, each one bearing a Nazi swastika, according to pictures released by police. Some of the packages were open with the word Hitler written in high relief on the compacted white powder. The drugs were found […]

At least 27 dead in Peru gold mine fire tragedy

YANAQUIHUA, Peru (AFP) — At least 27 workers have died in a fire at a gold mine in a remote area of southern Peru, authorities said Sunday, making it one of the worst mining tragedies in the South American country’s recent history. Grief-stricken relatives gathered near the mine looking for news of their loved ones. “Where are you darling, where are you?” cried Marcelina Aguirre Quispe, whose husband was among the victims. “We know there […]

At least 12 killed as strong quake jolts Ecuador and Peru

Guayaquil, Ecuador | AFP | At least 12 people were killed, one was wounded and buildings were damaged in a powerful earthquake that shook Peru and Ecuador Saturday, Ecuador’s presidency said. Destroyed buildings, crushed vehicles and debris could be seen in cities such as Machala and Cuenca in Ecuador, as rescue officials rushed to lend aid and panicked residents ran into the streets. The quake, which the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put at magnitude […]

Sorrow in Peru as mudslides destroy homes

by Carlos MANDUJANO Agence France-Presse CHACLACAYO, Peru (AFP) –One mudslide after another finally destroyed the house of Elvis Palomino in Chaclacayo, east of Peru’s capital Lima, where others are stacking sandbags they hope will save them from a similar fate. As heavy rains continue to drench the region, they fear the rising waters of the Rimac — Quechua for “talking river” — could also turn them into casualties of the natural disasters that have claimed […]

Peru returns seized Roman coins to Italy

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru on Thursday returned a collection of 73 Roman coins, some from the second and fourth centuries, to the Italian embassy in Lima, the foreign ministry said. The coins were seized from a Peruvian woman in 2021 at the international airport in Cusco, a tourist hub and gateway to the world renown Machu Picchu Inca citadel. Peru’s deputy foreign minister, Ignacio Higueras, told reporters that the collection of 73 coins “are […]