On May 31, 1970, a powerful earthquake shook Peru. Most of the damage came from the shaking. But high above the town of Yungay, the quake jolted a huge chunk of ice and rock loose from the side of Mount Huascarán. In moments, it was racing down the mountain in what became the deadliest avalanche ever recorded.
The wall of ice, mud and boulders hit speeds of over 200 mph. It carved a path more than 11 miles long down the valley, then slammed straight into Yungay. The whole town was buried under tens of feet of debris in about three minutes. Only a small hilltop with a cemetery on it stuck out above the rubble.
Today, the site is a national memorial. Visitors can walk across the gray, lumpy ground above where the town once stood. The hilltop cemetery is still there, with its statue of Jesus looking out. The disaster also pushed Peru and other Andes countries to set up much better warning systems for landslides and earthquakes.
