Vatican City, 17 August 2007 – Caritas Peru says non-perishable food, clean water, tents, and medicines are the most pressing needs after a powerful earthquake ravaged much of central Peru early Wednesday evening.

The quake, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, has claimed more than 500 lives, injured some 1,500 people, and left tens of thousands homeless. It is feared that the death toll will rise as rescue teams continue sifting through the rubble nearly two days after the disaster.

Caritas Peru has been working with the local Church and diocesan Caritas in the hard hit coastal department of Ica, south of the nation's capital, Lima, to assess damages and coordinate relief efforts. The cities of Pisco, Ica, Cañete, and Chincha are among the worst affected. Almost three-quarters of the homes and buildings in Pisco alone, a coastal city of 130,000, were levelled by the quake and aftershocks.

Caritas Peru is currently focused on meeting the immediate needs of some 10,000 affected families. "We have set up feeding centres in the parishes in the department of Ica," said Jorge LaFosse, director of Caritas Peru. "Water is absolutely critical, especially since many areas are without electricity, and water purification systems are down."

In addition to food and water, materials for temporary shelter and medicines are desperately needed. 

"Local hospitals and emergency units are completely overstretched, and there is a need for medicines and blood donations," said LaFosse.

Damages to roads, particularly the Pan-American Highway, have made travel and relief efforts difficult, and telecommunication services are not working in many areas.

Caritas Peru is putting together an appeal for assistance, based on their assessments in Ica, that will be launched to the global Caritas network in the coming days.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations working in 200 countries and territories.

For more information, contact: Nancy McNally, CI Media Officer, mcnally@caritas.va or mobile +39 334 2344 136 or Patrick Nicholson, +39 332 6877925