Peru quake traps miners underground

At least 40 gold miners were trapped yesterday in an underground mine in the Andes mountains after a powerful earthquake struck Peru's southern coast, killing 15 people and injuring as many as 700.

The 6.4-magnitude quake struck at midday Tuesday, damaging homes and buildings in Nazca, a tourist town of 25,000 located 235 miles south-east of Lima. Four people were killed and 380 injured there, and streets were blocked with rubble.

The quake lasted about a minute and was felt in Lima and as far away as Tacna, 600 miles south-east of the capital. Nazca - (AP)