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Clashes in Peru's quake-hit town | |
(10 minutes later) | |
Police in Peru have fired tear gas to disperse protesters blocking a highway near Pisco - the southern town that was ravaged by an earthquake in 2007. | |
The demonstrators were denouncing what they said was a lack of action on the part of the government of President Alan Garcia to rebuild the town. | |
More than 500 people were killed and some 75,000 homes destroyed in the region by the 8.0-magnitude earthquake. | More than 500 people were killed and some 75,000 homes destroyed in the region by the 8.0-magnitude earthquake. |
But two years later, many people in the region still live in tents and shacks. | But two years later, many people in the region still live in tents and shacks. |
'Desperation and anger' | |
On Saturday, riot police used tear gas to disperse protesters who had blocked a section of the Pan-American highway leading to Pisco. | |
Demonstrators pelted police with stones. | |
There is still grief in the town but also desperation and anger directed at the government for what many see as its failure to deliver on promises of a rapid reconstruction, the BBC's Dan Collyns reports from Pisco. | |
Only 25% of the planned reconstruction has taken place in Pisco, the worst-hit town in the area, our correspondent says. | |
Some 40,000 people in the region are still living in tent cities or one-room pre-fabricated shacks. | |
Many local residents say millions of dollars in reconstruction funds have never reached them, accusing officials of corruption and inefficiency. | |
"The president [Alan Garcia] and the [Pisco] mayor are all liars. They haven't done anything," local resident Nilda Solis Miranda was quoted as saying by Reuters. | "The president [Alan Garcia] and the [Pisco] mayor are all liars. They haven't done anything," local resident Nilda Solis Miranda was quoted as saying by Reuters. |
Fellow resident Aria Loayzo said: "All the streets are destroyed. There are no completed homes. There isn't a good administration for the donations of money sent from other countries for our province." | Fellow resident Aria Loayzo said: "All the streets are destroyed. There are no completed homes. There isn't a good administration for the donations of money sent from other countries for our province." |
Mr Garcia, who has seen his approval rating drop to under 30% in recent weeks, had promised a speedy rebuilding of the region after the quake. | Mr Garcia, who has seen his approval rating drop to under 30% in recent weeks, had promised a speedy rebuilding of the region after the quake. |
Peru's fourth housing minister in three years, Francis Allison, admitted there had been mistakes and said some regional authorities had been working incredibly slowly. | |
Meanwhile, town mayors insist they never received government money promised to rebuild basic infrastructure and homes. |