(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-20 10:43

Peruvian rescue workers recover the property of the destroyed Belen church in Pisco, August 19, 2007. Peruvian rescue teams combed the rubble of ruined homes on Sunday and relatives buried their dead in hastily dug graves as hopes faded of finding more survivors from a huge earthquake. [Reuters] Previous Reporting

LIMA -- Peru's southern cities of Pisco, Chincha, Ica and Lima were shaken by a 5.7-magnitude tremor on Sunday, the latest of a series of strong aftershocks following Wednesday's devastating earthquake, the country's Geophysical Institute reported.

The jolt occurred at 15:11 local time (2011 GMT), the report said, locating its epicenter offshore 53 km west of Pisco, the city that was hardest hit along with Chincha, Ica and Canete by Wednesday's 7.9-magnitude temblor.

The latest tremor neither lasted long, nor severely hindered rescuers' work, but caused panic among local citizens.

Also on Sunday, Peru witnessed another 4.2 Richter-scale tremor at 11:38 local time (1638 GMT). The epicenter was located 34 km northwest of Pisco.

Nearly 500 aftershocks have been reported since Wednesday. The disaster has killed more than 500 people, injured over 1,000 others and displaced tens of thousands.