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Quake hits Peru Andes
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook Peru’s Andes region on Saturday night, killing at least six people and injuring more than 30, with 300 displaced, authorities said Sunday.
“A 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook the Andes region of Peru, killing at least six people”
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake struck at 9:24 p.m. on Saturday, with its epicentre located two kilometres west-southwest of the city of Sicaya in Huancayo province and 10 kilometres deep.
Peru’s National Civil Defence Institute said the total number of missing is still unknown, while several buildings collapsed or suffered structural damage including the local church and convent.
Luis Vasquez, head of the local civil defence office, told journalists that the use of rustic adobe materials in construction in that Andean area "has contributed to the greater impact and damage."
In Chongos Bajo, residents huddled under blankets outside severely damaged homes, and Hermenegilda Guamalato told a local radio station, "My home has been destroyed."
Aftershocks and competing counts
Search and rescue crews continued after two earthquakes—magnitude 5.1 and 3.7—hit Peru’s Andes region in quick succession Saturday night, with at least six confirmed dead and 21 injured, according to a report from Reuters.
The Independent said the tremors measuring 5.1 and 3.7 struck Chupaca province in the Junín region, approximately 300 km east of Lima, and reported that Peru’s National Seismological Centre posted depths of 24 km and 18 km respectively.
Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said 48 homes were destroyed and 18 damaged, affecting around 300 residents who were now receiving tents, while officials said fears remained that more victims could be trapped beneath rubble.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially recorded the first quake at a higher magnitude of 5.6, while the U.S. Geological Survey called it a magnitude 5.5 quake with a very shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
In a separate account, Straight Arrow said the quake damaged two hospitals and historic sites including the Cani Cruz stone cross and the Santiago de León convent, as officials from Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said the quakes destroyed nearly 48 homes and damaged more than 15 others.
Response, displacement, and risk
Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said the total number of missing is still unknown, as emergency teams and firefighters were deployed early on Sunday to clear rubble and assess damage.
“48 homes, typically rudimentary adobe structures, were destroyed and 18 damaged”
The Independent reported that the 5.1 and 3.7 tremors destroyed 48 homes and damaged 18, affecting around 300 residents receiving tents, while fears persisted that more victims could be trapped beneath the rubble.
In Chongos Bajo, the quake damaged infrastructure and caused collapses in homes, and the Daily Reflector/AP account said the historic “Santiago de León” church and former convent in Chongos Bajo were among the structures affected.
Peru’s Ministry of the Interior said the National Police has deployed search, care, security and rescue actions, and it reported that more than 250 personnel from specialized units and over 50 members of the General Volunteer Firefighters Corps were mobilized.
Keiko Fujimori, who will assume the Peruvian presidency on July 28, expressed her condolences and urged the Government to continue deploying all efforts, saying, "I hail the actions of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and urge the Government to continue deploying all efforts".