Peruvian rescue workers and relief teams began scouring Peru's southern mountains late Sunday looking for survivors from the massive earthquake that left at least 50 people dead , hundreds injured and thousands homeless.
The death toll from the quake, that registered 8 on the richter scale keeps changing. Fifty-two people are confirmed dead, but officials warn the death toll could climb as rescue efforts continue. Juan Luis Podesta, the head of the national civil defense agency added, "It's going up minute by minute."
Mourners paraded through the streets of one of the harder hit areas today carrying religious figures. They made their way through the debris that lined the historic city of Arequipa, where the worst of the quake's damage was felt. It is the country's second largest city.
Arequipa was also the home to historic homes and cathedrals which were all destroyed from the massive earthquake.
The epicenter of the quake was on the coast just north of the southern town of Ocona, the Geophysical Institute said. The worst destruction took place near Arequipa, the country's second largest city. Arequipa is about 465 miles south of Lima.
Falling debris and collapsed homes injured several people in Lima. At least twelve fatalities were victims of falling debris in Arequipa. At least 47 homes had collapsed there.
Arequipa's mayor, Juan Manuel Guillen, said a state of emergency had been declared.
Podesta said dozens of adobe homes in Arequipa and the southern city of Tacna, near the border with Chile, were destroyed.
Another hard hit area was Moquequa, a southern mining town which is about 865 miles south of Lima. Several people were reported injured and killed.
"We have nowhere to escape to," one man told a local radio station. Residents said a landslide had blocked one of the town's chief roads and many houses had collapsed.
It's mid-winter in Peru, but dozens of aftershocks, with up to a 6.2 magnitude, from the quake has forced people to camp out and to shake with fear each time a rumble is felt.
Officials fear the death toll may rise since many remote villagers live in vulnerable mud and brick homes.
Red Cross officials told Reuters that the coastal town of Camana was struck by a tidal wave Saturday that destroyed houses and may have killed up to 36 people, who were missing. Arequipa police said "cadavers keep washing up from the sea," according to Reuters.
Peru's President Paniagua flew into the region on a relief flight to survey the damage. Over 22 tons of food, blankets and medicine have started arriving in the area to aide quake victims.
Peru was shaken by a strong 7.7 magnitude quake in May 31, 1970, that killed approximately 70,000 people.
On November 12, 1996, 17 people were killed and about 1,500 injured in a 7.7 magnitude quake that struck Nazca. On May 30, 1990, 137 people were killed in a 6.3 magnitude quake in northern Peru.
