Peruvian authorities informed that more than 300 people were killed after a strong earthquake struck the country late Wednesday.

At least 337 people died and 1000 were injured when a magnitude-7.9 quake struck the central coast of Peru at 23:40:58 UTC (18:40:58 local time), lasting about two minutes. Hundreds of buildings came crumbling down or suffered severe damage in the towns of Ica and Pisco, electric power being also interrupted.

Partially damaged hospitals had to deal with a wave of injured people and quickly became overcrowded. Many were being transported to nearby medical facilities as rescue teams were digging-up more victims trapped under piles of ruble.

Supplies were being flown in from Lima, as policemen were sent on the streets in order to prevent incidents and assist the population. Doctors called off a national strike began on Wednesday in order to coup with the dramatic situation.

The quake caused fewer material damages in Lima, but chaos and panic quickly spread across the streets. People were running scared and two died after suffering heart attacks. The city was left without telephone services and hospitals treated people injured by falling pieces of glass or scared by the jolt’s intensity.

Dozens of aftershocks followed shortly, three having a magnitude above 5.0. The temblor had its epicenter at a depth of 47 kilometers beneath the ocean floor and was felt in Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia, as the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

According to the spokesman of Peru’s Geophysical Institute Hernando Tavera, this was the most powerful quake to hit Peru in the past five decades also warning that strong aftershocks are expected in the following days.