Peru: Cultural heritage heavily destroyed after an earthquake

The magnitude 8 earthquake struck not only the lives of many Peruvian people but also caused heavy losses to the cultural heritage in this South American country.

Regional director of the Peruvian National Institute of Culture (INC) Alfredo Barahona assessed in La Republica that the terrifying earthquake on August 15 caused "irreparable" damage to relics archeology and precious natural relics of this country.

In Ica, the southern city near the center of the earthquake, the two largest museums in the city collapsed completely after the earthquake . Buried under the rubble are hundreds of archeological artifacts and priceless mummies of some of Peru's oldest civilizations like Paracas and Nazca more than 1,500 years ago. Many ancient mummies are certainly irreversible while archeological artifacts are now only scrap.

At Paracas Nature Reserve (RNP) also in Ica province, many of the world's famous natural stone shapes are heavily affected. The most famous stone block named "Church" was completely deformed.

Meanwhile, work to overcome the consequences of the earthquake is being urgently carried out. Up to this point, the statistics show that the number of people killed has reached more than 500 people and about 1,600 others were injured. The worst casualties were the city of Pisco with 400 people killed.

The famous blocks of Paracas park were badly destroyed (Photo: viajeros)

The mayor of Pisco, Juan Mendoza, said 70% of the city had been destroyed. People are living in a situation where there is no clean water, no communication, and dilapidated houses.

In many other cities in Peru, many people still eat and sleep on the street, not daring to enter the house due to fear of the next earthquake aftershocks, which the authorities announced could last up to 3 weeks .

In addition to speeding up the recovery of the earthquake, Peruvian President Alan Garcia also announced his national mourning for 3 days to commemorate the victims.

International organizations and governments of many countries around the world began sending aid to Peru. The International Red Cross provides tents, water and many other sources of support, spending $ 205,000 from emergency funds to support victims. The United Nations said the organization has also raised $ 1.34 million in international aid for Peru. Neighboring countries and many countries in the world such as Brazil, America, Mexico, Italy, Chile . also announced that they will support material to help Peru overcome the consequences.

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