I’m waiting for the first yutz to pronounce this the faults of George Bush:
LIMA, Peru -MSNBC- [1] A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Peru’s coast near the capital, killing at least 337 people and injuring more 827 others, the Civil Defense said early Thursday.
Civil Defense Commander Aristides Mussio released the figures on Peru’s state television station, saying one person was killed in Lima and 336 in the region of Ica.
The Civil Defense death toll of 337 first appeared on its Web site, but the organization’s spokesman, Dario Ariola, refused to confirm the figure, which was much higher the numbers provided by the health minister. But minutes later Mussio appeared on television to announce the new death toll.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that the figures are probably going to go much higher. Our hearts go out to the people there.
That said, this is a political blog. In that context, one wonders what the longer term leper cautions are going to be over this for the remainder of the world. Exports from Peru would be Copper, Gold, Zinc, and Crude oil. It would be hard to imagine that prices on those commodities wouldn’t be affected to at least some degree.
There are political implications as well, given the socialist spread in the area. I would expect the U.S. to try and reinforce our partnership with Peru, by means of sending help as necessary. I would also expect such help to come from Germany, who in recent years has become their largest trade partner.