Peruvian Forces Launching Attacks

Peruvian forces were advancing on Ecuadorean positions Thursday and claimed to have overrun an army outpost, even as the two countries appeared to reach a preliminary cease-fire accord in their jungle border war.

Peruvian military commander Gen. Nicolas Hermoza said 49 soldiers - 43 of them Ecuadoreans - had been killed in the last two days of skirmishes.

The Ecuadorean military confirmed the fighting, saying Peruvian troops launched morning attacks against various border posts.

In Rio de Janeiro, representatives of Ecuador and Peru reached a preliminary agreement on a cease-fire. But they did not settle on details of how a truce would be carried out.