Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Peru was shaken today by two temblors of magnitude 5.9, only two days after the country's worst earthquake in more than 30 years, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Peru's President Alan Garcia today said about 80,000 people were left without shelter by the magnitude-8 quake on Aug. 15. The death toll rose to 510 people, and at least 1,600 people were injured, according to the Civil Defense Agency.

The two quakes today came as utility companies worked to restore electricity and water services and the armed forces and government workers struggled to clear blocked highways. The latest was a magnitude-5.9 temblor at 10:52 p.m. New York time near the coast of central Peru, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Rescue workers are clearing rubble to reach victims, and donor nations joined relief agencies in sending aid.

``The first day was difficult because we didn't have roads and no way to bury our dead,'' Garcia told reporters in the southern coastal town of Pisco in a broadcast by Lima-based Radioprogramas. ``We're now preparing the reconstruction stage so this doesn't happen again.''

The south-central region of Ica was hit hardest by the temblor two days ago. At least 200 people died in the city of Ica, the regional capital, 265 kilometers (165 miles) south- southeast of Lima. The quake caused hospitals, churches and a prison to collapse. About 17,000 mud-brick homes were destroyed in a half-dozen towns along the coast.

Temporary Shelters

``We're working to set up temporary shelters,'' said Sergio Alvarez, a worker for the U.K.-based relief agency Oxfam, in a mobile-phone interview from Pisco. ``There are thousands of people who have lost everything and have nowhere to go.''

Survivors began burying their dead in the Ica cemetery, using the first 80 of 300 coffins flown in by the air force.

The government is doubling police patrols to prevent looting of aid-delivery trucks, homes and food markets, Cabinet chief Jorge del Castillo told reporters in Pisco in a briefing broadcast by Lima-based Panamericana Television. One man died today during the robbery of an aid truck, according to the Interior Ministry.

``We call on people to remain calm so not to complicate our task,'' del Castillo said. ``The magnitude of this catastrophe is huge.''

International Aid

Garcia set up a base in Pisco with his Cabinet to inspect the damage and coordinate delivery of aid pledged by European and Latin American leaders.

``The United Nations is in close contact with the government of Peru and stands ready to support relief efforts with measures, including the release of emergency funds and the deployment of a team of disaster assessment and coordination experts,'' said Michele Montas, a spokeswoman for UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, late yesterday in an e-mailed statement.

Countries have pledged a total $40 million in aid to date, according to Peru's International Cooperation Agency.

The UN offered $1 million in aid, while the European Union said it will approve 1 million euros ($1.3 million), and Japan, the Inter-American Development Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development all pledged more than $100,000. Peruvian business associations such as Confiep and the Society of National Mining, Petroleum and Energy began sending hundreds of tons of food, medicine, clothing, blankets and tents to the area.

Transport Difficulties

A navy MI-8 helicopter carrying aid crashed in the city of Ica, injuring its seven crewmembers, the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Bulldozers worked to clear landslides from the South Pan- American Highway, which has been split by cracks at several points along the coast. The highway is part of a network that connects North and South America.

``The country seems to be rallying,'' said Aaron Skrocki, South American emergency coordinator for Catholic Relief Services, in a telephone interview as he left Lima for the worst-affected areas. CRS has sent field staff to identify critical needs and coordinate the delivery of supplies, the Baltimore-based group said today in an e-mailed statement.

Thousands of people remained in public squares today rather than risk facing the aftershocks inside their homes. Television networks showed survivors huddled in blankets while burning doors and window frames from ruined homes to keep warm.

Police and state hospitals were on emergency status, and schools were closed until further notice. Hospitals were overflowing with the injured in Chincha, Canete and Ica, prompting the Air Force to fly more than 400 patients to hospitals in Lima, Health Minister Carlos Vallejos said. The Navy sent four battleships with doctors and food and water supplies.

Largest Since '74

The quake was the world's most powerful since a magnitude- 8.1 temblor struck off the Solomon Islands in April, triggering a tsunami that killed 54 people. The U.S. Geological Survey revised the Aug. 15 earthquake's magnitude to 8 after giving a preliminary measurement of 7.9.

The Aug. 15 temblor hit about 90 miles south-southeast of Lima, the USGS said. A magnitude-8 earthquake carries about as much energy as about 790 nuclear bombs, according to the USGS. That energy is spread out in waves and not in one particular spot.

The temblor was the largest earthquake in Peru since 1974, said Dale Grant, a geophysicist at the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado.

To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Emery in Lima at aemery1@bloomberg.net; Camilla Hall in London at chall24@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 18, 2007 00:26 EDT