A strong earthquake shook Peru’s Andes overnight, killing at least five people and forcing hundreds from their homes after houses, a church and other structures collapsed. Officials warned Sunday that the number of missing residents was still unclear.
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit shortly after 9:20 p.m. Saturday near Sicaya, a city in central Peru, the US Geological Survey reported. More than 20 people were injured, and at least 300 residents were displaced, according to Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute.
Rescue and civil defense teams continued working Sunday to locate unaccounted-for residents after multiple buildings either crumbled or were deemed too dangerous to enter, including a local church and convent.
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Authorities said the heavy damage was likely worsened by the region’s reliance on traditional adobe construction, which is common across rural Andean communities. Luis Vásquez, who leads the local civil defense office, said the rustic materials “contributed to the greater impact and damage.”
In Chongo Bajo, a farming community among the areas hardest hit, images showed families huddled in blankets outside damaged homes while neighbors searched through piles of debris. Livestock and other animals were also seen trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
“My home has been destroyed,” resident Hermenegilda Guamalato told local radio as she searched for shelter with her three children in the neighboring province of Huayucachi.
Peru lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a highly active seismic belt where powerful earthquakes are common. In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 quake devastated the coastal province of Pisco, leaving nearly 600 people dead.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
