( CNN ) -- A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck off the coast of central Peru on Wednesday evening , killing 15 people and leaving 70 hurt , President Alan Garcia said on national television . Pedestrians try to make calls on their cell phones in Lima , Peru , after a strong earthquake Wednesday . Peru 's Panamericana TV put the death toll at 17 . It showed footage of traffic lights in the capital , Lima , swaying with the quake . After everything stopped shaking , medics were seen tending to a woman . The video also showed chunks of plaster that had fallen from buildings . Some Lima residents were sobbing after the temblor , while others appeared to be praying . `` This has been the most terrifying experience we 've had , '' Gladys Tarnawiecki told CNN from her home in Lima . `` It was extremely long ... never in my life had I experienced this long an earthquake , '' she said . See the Lima resident describe how people were 'shouting and praying ' » . Many people were outside in the streets , she said , as the radio warned them that aftershocks could follow the quake . Tarnawiecki said she was waiting in her car , afraid to go back inside . `` It was chaos , '' said Fernando Calderon , an American visiting Peru . `` Everybody started crying -- kids , everybody . Everybody started running toward any empty space . Everybody was afraid the buildings were going to collapse . '' `` It 's an awful experience , because there 's no warning , '' he said . The quake shook inland towns , as well as cities near the coast and the mountains . There were power outages in Lima , Reuters reported , and people ran into the streets in panic as the tremor shook office buildings . Many stayed outside , afraid to go back indoors after the warnings of possible aftershocks . Meanwhile , tsunami warnings and watches issued after the quake for several Central and South American countries were canceled Wednesday night , as was a tsunami advisory for Hawaii . Peru , and most of the South American Pacific Coast , are on border of two tectonic plates : The South American plate , which includes most of the continent , and the Nazca plate , which extends across the Pacific along most of the coast . See a map of where the quake struck » . The quake was felt for two minutes , according to Peruvian media . Broken windows were reported in Lima , and mobile phone service was interrupted . The coastal town of Pisco , about 160 miles ( 257 kilometers ) south of Lima , appears to be the hardest-hit , and electricity was out in the town , Gen. Luis Palomino , head of Peru 's national civil defense institute , told CNN International . He said he could not confirm any deaths . The quake struck at 6:41 p.m. ( 7:41 p.m . ET ) and was centered 25 miles ( 61 kilometers ) west-northwest of Chincha Alta , Peru , and 90 miles ( 161 kilometers ) south-southeast of Lima , according to the U.S. Geological Survey . The epicenter was 25 miles ( 47 kilometers ) below the Earth 's surface . More tremors followed . A magnitude 5.8 quake occurred at 7:02 p.m. ( 8:02 p.m . ET ) . It was farther inland , centered 70 miles ( 113 kilometers ) northeast of Chincha Alta and 111 miles ( 179 kilometers ) east-southeast of Lima . And at 7:19 p.m. , another smaller quake of 5.9 magnitude occurred , centered 30 miles ( 48 kilometers ) south-southwest of Ica , Peru , and 180 miles ( 290 kilometers ) south-southeast of Lima . E-mail to a friend . Reuters contributed to this report .
NEW : Lima warnings and watches canceled , as is Lima 's advisory . 70 people killed , At least 15 injured in quake . Quake was felt for 7:19 p.m. ; people ran out of office buildings in panic . Broken windows , power outages reported in Lima , Peru 's capital .