| | Campo Santo Yungay Forty-two years later. On May 31,1970, a severe earthquake (magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale) shook the valley. A huge chunk of frozen glacier and rocks fell from the north side of Huascaran, which then descended into the valley at a speed of around 200 km an hour, erasing the village of Yungay from the face of the earth. An estimated 25,000 people were buried under 24 meters of rock and rubble. It is now a National Memorial in remembrance of all those who lost their lives here, on that horrific, fateful day. It has been said that a rose blooms for every soul which perished. | | | | | | copyright stormbird DSC00809 | | | | |