A 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook Peru: there are at least six dead and 20 injured

Initially the reported figure was five dead and 20 injured, but as rescue efforts progress, the number could grow. In that sense, around noon this Sunday, it was learned that there were already six fatalities and more than 30 injured.

“What we have so far are 5 deaths and 21 injuries that have already been confirmed by the Ministry of Health,” the head of the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci), General Luis Vásquez, had told Exitosa radio.

Likewise, he indicated that there are “destroyed homes that are being evaluated, as well as affected homes. There are also affected families.” So far it has been reported that there are nearly 300 victims of the earthquake.

Later, this government agency indicated in a new report that The fatalities are six, while the Vice Minister of Health of Peru, Henry Rebaza, declared to Canal N that 26 injured people have already been discharged after receiving medical attention and six others remain hospitalized.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) indicated that the earthquake occurred this Saturday at 9:24 p.m. local time (11:24 p.m. in Argentina), and had its epicenter two kilometers west-southwest of the city of Sicaya, province of Huancayo, in the Junín region. The tremor had a depth of 10 kilometers.

According to the head of Indeci, the shallow depth of the earthquake, added to the presence of houses built with adobe and quincha, contributed to serious damage in several towns.

According to the Andina agency, the first five deaths belong to the province of Chupaca, one of whose most affected districts is Chongos Bajo. Among the victims are people aged 18, 68, 72 and 73, while work continues to verify the status of other affected locations.

The Ministry of the Interior of Peru reported this Sunday that the National Police deployed search, rescue, care and security actions in the affected areas.

“For this emergency, more than 250 personnel from the Special Services Units, Emergency, Rescue, Canine Police, Health and other specialized units have been mobilized,” they detailed in a statement.

Likewise, 50 troops and 10 units of the General Volunteer Firefighters Corps responded to the emergency, in coordination with the National Police. They are carrying out search and rescue work in the rubble.

This Sunday the Minister of Defense, Amadeo Flores, and the president of the Council of Ministers, Luis Arroyo, would travel to evaluate a possible declaration of emergency in the province of Chupaca.

For its part, the Ministry of Health detailed, in a statement, that 21 injuries have been reported, of which 11 were sent to the Daniel Alcides Carrión National Center Hospital, three to the Chupaca Health Center and two received care at the scene, being discharged at that time.

The ministry ordered the installation of an Advanced Medical Post, the deployment of psychology professionals and the transfer of the Junín Field Hospital to strengthen emergency care.

The president of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP), Hernando Tavera, pointed out in the Peruvian media RPP that the level of destruction in Pumpunya is due “in part” to the precariousness of the housing.

“When constructions are made with standards, with engineering, they will obviously have better results than when they are built with local material; what we call precarious housing, in quotes, which are easier to collapse,” he commented.

The Santiago León de Chongos Bajo church, built in the 16th century, has suffered structural damage. “The tower is a little cracked, it has cracks and it seems that it has leaned a little. I was in my room, I heard a noise and there were some plasters on the wall that were peeling,” said Father Henry Díaz.

So far, the IGP has counted 12 aftershocks, of which the most important reached magnitudes of 3.7 and 3.4.