At least six dead, 32 injured after magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits central Peru

What happened

At 9:24 p.m. local time on Saturday, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook the Andean district of Chongos Bajo in Peru's Junín region, about 300 km east of Lima. The Peruvian Geophysical Institute (IGP) located the epicenter 7 km south of the town at a shallow depth of 24 km. Seventeen minutes later, a 3.7 aftershock followed, and the IGP recorded 12 further replicas through the night. The United States Geological Survey measured the main tremor at magnitude 5.5, with an epicenter near Sicaya.

Any seismic event generated near this fault will produce high levels of ground shaking.

The IGP chief attributed the quake to the reactivation of the Altos del Mantaro tectonic fault.

Casualties and damage

Prime Minister Luis Enrique Arroyo told TV Perú that six people had died and 32 were injured. The National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci) earlier reported five dead and 21 injured, with the toll later revised upward. At least 26 of the injured were discharged after treatment, while six remained hospitalized, according to Deputy Health Minister Henry Rebaza. Indeci chief General Luis Vásquez said 48 homes were destroyed and 18 damaged, affecting around 300 people who received tents. Most structures in the area are built of adobe and quincha, materials highly vulnerable to seismic shaking.

The earthquake has destroyed our home. There are many adobe houses here that have collapsed.

Heritage and infrastructure hit

Among the structures that did not withstand the tremor was the Cani Cruz stone cross, a 16th-century monument recognized as National Cultural Heritage. The cross, erected around 1534 and a pilgrimage site, collapsed. The roof of the nearby Iglesia Matriz also caved in. The Daniel Alcides Carrión National Hospital in Huancayo and the El Carmen Maternal and Child Hospital reported damage to their facilities. Power transmission and tourist infrastructure were also affected.

Response and aftershocks

President-elect Keiko Fujimori expressed condolences on social media, while the government dispatched humanitarian aid, tents, and a mobile hospital. About 100 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and local brigades, were deployed to Chupaca province. Emergency crews and firefighters arrived early Sunday to clear debris, with authorities concerned that additional victims might be trapped. The IGP continued monitoring the 12 aftershocks, most of low magnitude.

I deeply regret the consequences of the earthquake. I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and my solidarity with those affected.

Seismic context

Peru sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide, causing at least 400 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or higher each year. The country's last major disaster was a 7.9 quake in 2007 that devastated Pisco province and killed nearly 600 people. Three and a half weeks ago, neighboring Venezuela was struck by two quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, with a confirmed death toll exceeding 5,100.