1 Dead, Dozens Injured As Earthquake Hits Peru

Andina Agency, via Associated Press

Lima, Peru – Reports of a magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit the coast of southern Peru on Sunday morning have surfaced. There is at least one dead while several individuals are reportedly injured. Homes and roads have also collapsed.

Meanwhile, authorities have walked back previous statements about a second dead person and that around 17 people were missing in a certain mine. This could very well contradict earlier claims that the earthquake is not as devastating as previously feared.

The quake struck the offshore at 4:18 AM, with a depth of 22 miles, according to The New York Times. The epicenter, as revealed by the United States Geological Survey, was located in the Pacific Ocean around 25 miles from the town of Acari.

Gov. Yamila Osorio of the Arequipa region announced on Twitter that a man, 55, had died in the town of Yauca. He was said to have been crushed by a rock. Jorge Chavez, the country’s Civil Defense Institute chief, said that at least 65 people suffered injuries. They, however, withdrew earlier statements that a second person died due to the earthquake.

The damaged roads, albeit help is being delivered, are somehow difficult to access. They are either rural or remote. Chavez also mentioned about aid workers and supplies being flown into the affected areas.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Twitter that he would personally travel to the towns of Chala and Acari. He aims to “verify the magnitude of the damages” and forward “the corresponding humanitarian aid.”

A number of municipalities have also suffered from power loss, while roads and some adobe houses collapsed momentarily. Residents of a coastal town called Lomas were evacuated accordingly following the aftershock.

It is worth noting that earthquakes are very much common in Peru. Hence most houses are built with precarious materials meant to withstand its effects. Sometime in 2007, an earthquake struck the country, killing hundreds in Ica.