At least one person has been killed, and five others injured after a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Peru and was felt throughout the capital, Lima.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on Sunday that the earthquake occurred at 11:35am (16:35 GMT) local time in the Pacific Ocean, with its epicentre located 23km (14 miles) southwest of Callao, a port city west of the capital Lima.
The Peruvian presidency reported that the magnitude of the earthquake was higher than the USGS assessment, registering a 6.1 magnitude. The earthquake did not generate a tsunami warning.
In a post on X, the presidency said that President Dina Boluarte was currently travelling to Callao to monitor the coast following the tremor.
Police Colonel Ramiro Clauco told the Peruvian broadcaster RPP radio that a 36-year-old man died in northern Lima while “standing outside his vehicle waiting for a passenger”.
The Emergency Operations Centre added that five people were being treated in the hospital and damage had been reported to roads and educational centres.
According to Hernando Tavera, executive president of the Geophysical Institute of Peru, who spoke with local TV channel N, all districts in Lima felt the earthquake.
Local radio stations also reported that the quake led to the cancellation of a major football match scheduled to be held in Lima.
The South American country lies on what is known as the “Ring of Fire”, a path along the Pacific Ocean that is frequently struck by earthquakes and active volcanic activity, with Peru averaging at least 100 detectable earthquakes every year.
The last major earthquake occurred in 2021 in the Amazon region, registering a magnitude of 7.5, and left 12 people injured, destroying more than 70 homes.
The most disastrous earthquake to hit the country was in 1970 and struck the Ancash region of Peru, causing mass landslides that resulted in the deaths of about 70,000 people.
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