Peru Earthquake Kills 6 and Displaces 300 After 5.5-Magnitude Jolt
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 19
Peru Earthquake Kills 6 and Displaces 300 After 5.5-Magnitude Jolt
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 19
Summary
Six people died and at least 20 were injured after a shallow earthquake struck Peru’s Junín region near Chongos Bajos at 9:24 p.m. Saturday.
The 5.5-magnitude quake hit at a depth of 6.2 miles, damaging or destroying dozens of homes and sending about 300 residents to a sports stadium as aftershocks continued.
Several towns near the epicenter lost electricity, with some villages still cut off from power on Sunday; the quake also damaged a 16th-century church and chapel.
Peru’s geophysical chief said it was the biggest quake to hit the central highlands since 1969, adding that adobe-and-straw homes common in the Andes were especially prone to collapse.
Peru has recorded about 450 earthquakes this year, roughly average for the quake-prone country on the Pacific Ring of Fire.