5.5-magnitude earthquake hits Peru's Andes region and kills at least 5 people

The local civil defence office said that the use of rustic adobe materials in construction in the area ‘contributed to the greater impact and damage’ of the earthquake. Photograph: Jhefry Sedano/AP View image in fullscreen The local civil defence office said that the use of rustic adobe materials in construction in the area ‘contributed to the greater impact and damage’ of the earthquake. Photograph: Jhefry Sedano/AP 5.5-magnitude earthquake hits Peru's Andes region and kills at least 5 people More than 20 people were injured and 300 have been displaced by Saturday’s quake, while the total number of missing is still unknown A 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook the Andes region of Peru , killing at least five people, authorities said Sunday. More than 20 people were injured and 300 have been displaced. The US Geological Survey reported the quake struck on Saturday at 9.24pm, with its epicentre located 2km (1.24 miles) west-south-west of the city of Sicaya in Huancayo province. It was 10 km (6.21 miles) deep. Peru’s National Civil Defence Institute said in a statement that the total number of missing is still unknown. Several buildings collapsed or suffered structural damage, including the local church and convent. View image in fullscreen Residents gather in the main square of Chupuro following the earthquake which struck on Saturday evening. Photograph: Yershon Vilca/Reuters Luis Vásquez, 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”. Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which is located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. Images broadcast by local media captured the anguish of victims’ relatives in one of the hardest-hit areas, the agricultural region of Chongo Bajo, where residents huddled under blankets outside severely damaged homes. Animals were also seen under the rubble. View image in fullscreen Residents walk amid the debris of homes that collapsed after the earthquake struck Photograph: Javier Ninanya/AP “My home has been destroyed,” Hermenegilda Guamalato told a local radio station as she sought a place to stay with her three children in the neighbouring province of Huayucachi. In 2007, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck the province of Pisco in the Ica region, killing nearly 600 people. Explore more on these topics Peru Earthquakes Americas Natural disasters news Share Reuse this content