( AP ) - A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Peru's coast near the capital, killing at least 115 people and injuring more than 1,000 others, the country's health minister said early Thursday.
Speaking on radio stations Radioprogramas and CPN, Health Minister Carlos Vallejos gave the latest toll of victims and said he was trying to reach the city of Ica, the hardest hit by the quake.
Earlier, Deputy Health Minister Jose Calderon called the situation "dramatic" in Ica, a city of 650,000 people located 165 miles southeast of the capital.
He encouraged Peruvians to donate blood for the injured and said a convoy of doctors and nurses was headed to the Ica area. News reports said dozens of people were crowding hospitals in the city seeking help even though the hospitals had suffered cracks and other structural damage.