LIMA, Peru — A magnitude 5.5 earthquake shook the Andes region of Peru, killing at least five people, local authorities said Sunday. More than 20 people were injured and 300 have been displaced.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake struck at 9:24 p.m. Saturday local time, with its epicenter 1.24 miles west-southwest of the city of Sicaya, in Huancayo province. The quake took place at a depth of 6.21 miles.
Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said in a statement that the number of people missing is still unknown. Several buildings collapsed or suffered structural damage, including the local church and convent.
Luis Vásquez, head of the local civil defense office, told journalists that the use of rustic adobe materials in construction in the area “has contributed to the greater impact and damage.”
Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” as is California.
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.
In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the province of Pisco in the Ica region, leaving nearly 600 people dead.
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