Over 100 people injured, no deaths reported in Peru earthquake

LIMA, Peru – 134 homes were destroyed and 103 people were injured during a 6.9-magnitude quake just off the central coast, Peruvian officials said on Saturday.

LIMA, Peru – 134 homes were destroyed and 103 people were injured during a 6.9-magnitude quake just off the central coast, Peruvian officials said on Saturday.

The Associated Press reports that Civil defense chief Alfredo Murgueytio said there were no deaths and most of the collapsed homes were of adobe.

Two adobe churches also were seriously damaged, including the 18th century cathedral of the provincial capital of Ica.

The cathedral, build by Jesuits, already was weakened by a 2007 earthquake as well as temblors in 1813 and 1942. Both it and another church in Ica were too damaged to safely enter, said Alberto Bisbal, a top civil defense official.

According to AP, President Ollanta Humana said he was cutting short his stay in Paraguay for the IberoAmerican summit to head directly to the quake zone, where nearly 600 people were killed in an 8.0-magnitude quake in August 2007.

Friday’s quake sent people running panicked into the streets in cities that were badly damaged then.

Authorities said many people slept outside Friday night.

“The people are tense and a lot of us didn’t sleep,” said Cristhian Rodriguez, a vendor in Pisco, which was mostly leveled in the 2007 quake.

Murgueytio said two army engineering battalions were joining police in supporting residents who lost homes or otherwise had property damage. He estimated the number at 1,220.

At least nine aftershocks followed the Friday quake. The most significant had a 5.5 magnitude, as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...