Swiss aid begins in Peru

The Peruvian army is supposed to prevent looting in the earthquake zone Keystone

Swiss humanitarian aid units have arrived in the cities of Pisco and Chincha, struck by an earthquake that killed more than 500 people on Wednesday.

The beginning of their mission coincided with the Peruvian government’s decision to send more troops to the disaster area to try to re-establish law and order.

Shortly after arriving in Peru on Saturday, four members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit and two specialists from the Swiss Red Cross began distributing water and blankets in the two towns.

Besides distributing supplies to the population, the Swiss mission will also evaluate what the most pressing needs are in the region, coordinating its work with the local authorities and other specialists.

Jean-Philippe Jutzi, spokesman for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), said on Sunday that Pisco had suffered the most, with 80 per cent of houses in the centre of the city destroyed or seriously damaged.

There is also a shortage of food and water, with most water pipes damaged. The population is also suffering from a lack of tents and blankets.

“Distribution of aid is also problematic because there are not enough vehicles to transport it, especially out in the country,” added Jutzi. “The situation should improve though with the arrival of a United Nations coordination team.”

The Swiss will pay particular attention to medical needs, although the SDC spokesman said that situation is under control despite the destruction of three of Pisco’s hospitals.

Peru has been a priority country of Swiss aid for more than four decades. The Swiss government agencies are involved in development cooperation and humanitarian assistance. They also promote good governance and sustainable economic growth.

Looting

The Peruvian government has also sent more troops to stem looting. Military trucks carrying supplies were swarmed on Saturday by dozens of people in Pisco, and survivors fought over cans of tuna and cartons of milk.

In a soccer stadium, more than 500 people lined up at a lone truck that passed out packets of crackers, candy and toilet paper. When the food ran out, people rushed the truck screaming that they had not yet eaten.

President Alan Garcia vowed to re-establish order “regardless of what it costs”.

“Whoever tries to cause a disturbance is going to face the consequences,” Garcia told reporters, as the government deployed an additional 1,000 soldiers to the area.

Planes that initially carried the injured to Lima were now being used to ferry supplies to the victims, according to Garcia’s Cabinet chief, Jorge del Castillo.

But it has been reported that many trucks with food are not getting through and are being looted on their way to the disaster zone.

Foreign Commerce Minister Mercedes Araoz said looting continued to be a problem: “We’re trying to do something about the highway robbers. … The army is heading to the area now to control it,” she added.

swissinfo with agencies

In brief

Peru was the first priority country for Swiss development cooperation in Latin America.

Last year humanitarian and technical aid to Peru totalled SFr15.9 million ($13.09 million). This year it is expected to drop to SFr13.4 million.

Development aid is focusing on the three mountain areas of Cajamarca, Cusco and Apurimac.

Earthquake

Scientists said the quake was a “megathrust”, a type of earthquake similar to the catastrophic Indian Ocean quake in 2004 that generated deadly tsunami waves.

In general, quakes measuring 8 on the Richter scale are capable of causing tremendous damage. Quakes of magnitude 2.5-3 are the smallest generally felt, and every increase of one number on the magnitude scale means that the quake’s magnitude is 10 times as great.

The quake occurred in one of the most seismically active regions in the world at the boundary where the Nazca and South American tectonic plates meet. The plates are moving together at a rate of 7.5cm a year.

Wednesday’s quake was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the South American country during the last century. In 1970, an earthquake killed an estimated 50,000 Peruvians in catastrophic avalanches of ice and mud that buried the town of Yungay.

The largest recorded earthquake was the Great Chilean Earthquake of May 22, 1960, which had a magnitude of 9.5.