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Earthquake in Peru Kills 4

A powerful earthquake hit Peru Sunday night at 8:55 P.M.w ith a preliminary magnitude of 7. There were several power outages and phone service was cut throughout much of the region. So far, four people have been reported killed.

Peru`s Geophysics Institute said the quake struck at 8:55 p.m. and was centered about 60 miles northeast of the jungle city Moyobamba, 420 miles north of Lima, the capital.`Several houses have fallen down and there are several people dead,` Carlos Mori, who lives in the nearby town of Lamas, told Radioprogramas. `All of the residents of Lamas are in the streets. Most of the people are helping.`

Mori said about 20 houses had collapsed and that four people had been killed. A regional government official said some walls had crumbled in the jungle city of Chachapoyas, about 100 miles northwest of the epicenter, but reported no deaths.

The earthquake was felt across Peru`s northern coast and as far away as Bogota, Colombia. It was the strongest quake to strike Peru since a magnitude 8.1 quake in June 2001 killed at least 75 people and left tens of thousands homeless.