Twin earthquakes kill at least five in Peru’s Junin region
Authorities said two quakes east of Lima destroyed dozens of homes, injured 21 people and left rescue crews searching rubble.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Two earthquakes struck Peru’s mountainous Junin region, killing at least five people and injuring 21, authorities said. The damage matters most in small towns east of Lima, where officials said dozens of homes were destroyed and rescue crews were still looking for anyone trapped in debris.
Peru’s National Seismological Center said the quakes hit on Saturday night and measured magnitude 5.1 and 3.7. The agency said the first tremor struck at a depth of 24 kilometers, or 15 miles, and the second at 18 kilometers.
The affected area lies about 300 kilometers, or 186 miles, east of Lima. Images circulated on social media appeared to show collapsed houses and emergency workers removing rubble, according to Al Jazeera.
Exitosa radio reported that authorities had confirmed five deaths from the tremors. Reuters reported a death toll of six, citing Peru’s civil defense chief.
Luis Vasquez, head of Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute, told Peruvian radio that preliminary reports showed at least 48 homes destroyed and 18 more damaged. He said about 300 people had been displaced and were receiving tents.
Rescue workers continued searching through collapsed structures, according to authorities. The damage was concentrated in communities where many houses are vulnerable to shaking because they are built from adobe mud bricks.
An unnamed resident of Chongos Bajo told the N television network that the quake had destroyed the resident’s home. “Here there are many adobe houses that collapsed,” the resident said.
President-elect Keiko Fujimori expressed condolences in a social media post on Sunday. “I deeply regret the consequences of the earthquake that occurred in Junin,” she said, adding that she offered solidarity to those affected and condolences to families of the dead.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre had earlier estimated the first earthquake at magnitude 5.6. Peru’s National Seismological Center later put the magnitude at 5.1.
Peru sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Al Jazeera reported that the region accounts for about 85 percent of the world’s seismic activity.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.