Six killed, 21 injured after two earthquakes strike mountainous Peru region
Quick Look
- At least six people died and 21 were injured after two earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 5.1 and 3.7, struck Peru's Chupaca province in the Junin region.
- The quakes destroyed 48 homes and damaged 18, affecting around 300 residents who are now receiving tents.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Two earthquakes struck a mountainous region of Peru, resulting in casualties and significant structural damage to rudimentary homes.
At least six people were killed and 21 injured after two earthquakes struck a mountainous region of Peru, the country’s civil defence chief said on Sunday.
The earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 5.1 and 3.7, hit on Saturday night in Chupaca province in the Junin region, about 300km (186 miles) east of Lima, according to Peru’s National Seismological Centre post on social media.
The first earthquake struck at a depth of 24km (15 miles) and the second at 18km, the centre said.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre earlier reported that the first earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6.
Luis Vasquez, head of Peru’s National Civil Defence Institute, told local radio station Exitosa that preliminary reports showed about 48 homes had been destroyed and another 18 damaged, affecting around 300 people who are being provided with tents.
Homes in the affected communities in Chupaca are generally rudimentary structures built from adobe blocks.
Open Questions
- What is the final count of casualties and injured?
- What is the full extent of the damage to infrastructure?
- What long-term aid will be provided to affected residents?
