Rescue crews rush to provide aid to Peruvians left homeless by quake

LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Rescue crews worked Monday to provide blankets, food and shelter to thousands of people left homeless in cold winter weather from a devastating 8.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked southern Peru two days ago.

The quake killed at least 97 people, injured more than 1,100 and left another 46,000 families without shelter, Peruvian authorities said. An estimated 9,520 homes were destroyed. Nighttime temperatures were expected to dip below freezing.

The American Red Cross said it is sending a special brigade, including two experts, to provide relief and assess damage in the quake-ravaged region. The team is expected to arrive Tuesday.

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"The biggest concerns are the immediate needs," such as providing food, temporary shelter, water and medical aid to those who need it, said Red Cross spokeswoman Olga Bellido.

President Valentin Paniagua and President-elect Alejandro Toledo surveyed from the air Sunday the devastation that left thousands camped in public parks and stadiums in cold winter weather because their homes were destroyed by the earthquake or because they were fearful of aftershocks.

Chile, Bolivia felt vibrations

At least 70 aftershocks have been registered since the quake struck Saturday afternoon, some measuring up to 6.2 magnitude.

Relief officials made arrangements to get survivors blankets, food, shelter, medicine and clean water, and they were coordinating air and ground transportation to deliver supplies.

"The most important thing is to support work on search and rescue to get those people who are injured, then immediately to look after the people who are homeless," said Ian Logan of the International Red Cross.

Geophysicist Brian Lassige at the National Earthquake Center in Golden, Colorado, said the quake was centered about 120 miles west of the city of Arequipa on the coast, about 500 miles southeast of Lima. The vibrations from the quake were felt as far away as Chile and Bolivia.

Civil defense officials said at least 17 people were killed in Arequipa, where at least 200 people were injured as well. Local media said at least 14 people died and at least 50 people were injured in Moquegua, about 20 miles south of Arequipa.

In Tacna, at least nine people were killed, and at least 200 others injured.

Church tower toppled

Officials feared Moquegua was even harder hit than Arequipa, but because of downed telephone lines, information was slow to come from the area.

Arequipa Mayor Manuel Guillin said 70 percent of the homes in the city had suffered damage. Rescue crews were hampered in searching the rubble for survivors because power is out in the city.

The tower of an ancient church in the center of Arequipa crumbled in the quake, and officials said thousands of people fled their homes in panic when they felt the rumbling, which lasted for more than one minute.

"It's the historic part of town where the majority of damage can be seen. The cathedral unfortunately is the most affected and the most visible. I am also of the understanding, after the inspections we have done, that there are also some colonial buildings and homes in the historic district that sustained major damage," the mayor said.

Telephone lines and power lines are also down. Units from Arequipa's fire department were in the streets trying to calm residents and assess the damage.

CNN journalists Natalia Tarnawieski and Claudia Cisneros contributed to this report.