23-meter tsunami leaves several missing in western Peru

April 13th, 2010 - 12:45 pm ICT by BNO News  

LIMA (BNO NEWS) — At least several people were missing after a glacier broke off and plunged into a lake in western peru on Sunday, causing a 23-meter (75-foot) tsunami that devastated a nearby town, authorities said on Monday.

The incident happened at a lake in the Andes near the town of Carhuaz, according to national radio broadcaster RPP. It said at least five people remained missing and that two injured had been taken to a local hospital.

According to the Civil Defense, at least 50 houses were destroyed when the tsunami struck. Others had been damaged by the wave, which flooded the area and destroyed the lake’s levees. A water processing plant also was destroyed.

Damaging tsunamis are rare, and are most known to be caused by earthquakes. However, tsunamis can also be generated by other events such as volcanic eruptions and landslides.

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