Authorities say 8 killed in Peru quake

LIMA, Peru -- A shallow 4.9-magnitude earthquake has killed at least eight people whose crudely constructed homes collapsed in a remote Andean village near Cuzco, a Peruvian civil defense official said Sunday.

Carlos Castro of Peru's Civil Defense agency reported the deaths from the Saturday night earthquake during an interview with RPP Radio on Sunday morning. The agency had earlier reported seven deaths on its website.

The moderate quake centered just 5 miles underground had destroyed 15 homes and left 75 people homeless, said the agency. It said five people were injured and power was knocked out to the village.

Mayor Wilber Loaiza of the neighboring town of Yarisque told The Associated Press that Paruro is a small farming town of about 1,000 inhabitants. It is a two-hour drive from Cuzco.