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By Kent Larsen
Missionaries in Peru Safe, Church Reports
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- After an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9
hit off the coast of Peru Saturday, the LDS Church reported that all
missionaries in the area of the quake are safe. A news report in the
Deseret News Sunday quoted Dale Bills, spokesman for The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as saying that all missionaries
were safe and accounted for. However, Bills did not yet have
information about the status of Church members and facilities in the
area at that time.
The quake was centered 120 miles west of Arequipa, Peru, but the city
hardest hit by the quake was Moquegua, where reports say at least 80
percent of the buildings are destroyed or damaged. That city has 17
killed and 162 injured. In Arequipa, Peru's second largest city, at
least 17 are dead and 170 injured. At least 47 homes in Arequipa have
collapsed, and the city's Catholic cathedral, which dates to 1656,
was damaged.
The LDS Church currently has seven missions in Peru, including one
centered in Arequipa. That city is home to at least six stakes. The
Church also has a stake in Moquegua, another in Ilo and four in
Tacna, cities that reportedly suffered damage in the quake.
Sources:
LDS missionaries in Peru are reported safe
Deseret News 24Jun01 N1
Ravaged Peru Picking Up Pieces After Major Quake
New York Times (Reuters) 25Jun01 Y1
Peru Is Sending Aid to Quake Victims
New York Times (AP) 25Jun01 Y1
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