Lima - Part of the rock structures known as The Cathedral and The Friar, two of the tourist attractions at the Paracas National Reserve in Peru, collapsed in the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that claimed over 400 lives this week. The park is in the Pisco province, the worst-affected by Wednesday's earthquake.
The Cathedral, a large rock formation eroded by the wind and the sea, lost its arch and vault. The fate of sea birds and some endangered species that lived within the structure is unknown, Peruvian daily El Comercio reported Friday.
Reserve boss Oscar Garcia said some 400 metres of a bird-watching viewing station and part of the infrastructure built in the area were also lost during the quake as the sea advanced on the land in Pisco, some 250 kilometres south of Lima.
"Important biological material was completely lost," Garcia said.
He was visibly upset because many years of conservation efforts were lost in the two-minute earthquake.
The quake also caused landslides in places where protected species live.
More than 100 archaeological pieces and mummies also suffered irreparable damage, Peru's Institute of National Culture said. Some walls of the museum buildings collapsed, causing exhibition cases to break.
