KABUL (Pajhwok): At least six people have been killed, more than 30 others injured and around 300 displaced after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Peru’s Andean region, authorities said.
The Associated Press reported the earthquake struck at 9:24 p.m. on Saturday. Its epicentre was located two kilometres west-southwest of Sicaya in Huancayo province at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Peru’s National Civil Defence Institute said the exact number of missing people remained unknown. The quake damaged or destroyed several buildings.
The historic Santiago de León Church and Monastery in Chongos Bajo, built in 1565 and listed as a national heritage site, was also damaged.
Luis Vasquez, head of the local Civil Defence Office, said the widespread use of adobe and other basic construction materials in the mountainous region had contributed to the scale of the damage and casualties.
Peru is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most seismically active regions. In 2007, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Pisco province, killing nearly 600 people.
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