Travelers Respond After Peru Quake

Travel Blog  •  Michael Yessis  •  08.17.07 | 12:15 PM ET

The horrors of the 8.0 earthquake that struck the southern coast of Peru Wednesday continue to mount. More than 500 people are known to be dead, and more than 17,000 have been displaced, according to the latest update from the New York Times. Among those put in danger were many travelers from around the world.

KCBS in the San Francisco Bay Area, where many adventure companies are based, reports that outfitters’ phones “were ringing off the hook” as travelers and relatives of travelers tried to get more information. The U.S. travel assistance company On Call International said the “number of calls to the facility related to the earthquake and its aftershocks hasn’t been high,” according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. So far, it’s not known how many foreigners have been killed, thought the New York Times reports at least one American died.

Elsewhere, the Globe and Mail writes that a group of Canadian trekkers in the Andes fared well. In the London Times, Stephen and Clare Robinson, a British couple on holiday, recounted their experience in a hotel during the quake.

From the London Times:

After the earthquake the couple spent several hours outside on the hotel golf course before returning to their room. But they spent a sleepless night because of the continued aftershocks. “We had backpacks near the door and every time there was an aftershock we just took our things and left the room,” she said. “We must have got up four or five times in the night.” 

The Pan-American Highway, a major route for travelers, also sustained heavy damage. According to the New York Times, it “had only one usable lane over a stretch of more than 20 miles, and traffic was backed up for miles past.”

Tags: South America, Peru


2 Comments for Travelers Respond After Peru Quake

TambourineMan 08.17.07 | 5:54 PM ET

If this quake wasn’t enough, Hurricane Dean just entered the Caribbean as a Cat 3 storm, and is on track to hammer Jamaica and the Yucatan.

TambourineMan 08.17.07 | 5:57 PM ET

Oh yeah, and don’t forget about Super Typhoon Sepat.

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