A powerful earthquake of magnitude of 7.0 hit near the coast in southern Peru’s Arequipa region on Friday, reported Reuters citing the local officials as the source. So far no deaths have been reported but a total of eight people have been injured. David Aponte, Chief of Disaster Risk Management and National Defense at the Ministry of Health, initially reported three minor injuries to local radio station RPP. Subsequently, the Ministry of Health confirmed that an additional five injured individuals had been treated at nearby hospitals.
Following the earthquake, Arequipa experienced four aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4 to 4.6, resulting in some landslides on local roads. The government, via social media, stated it is actively monitoring the situation to assess the damage and determine necessary actions.
Initially, the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert, noting waves between 1 and 3 meters above the tide level along parts of Peru’s coast. However, Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen later confirmed that the tsunami warning for the Arequipa coast had been lifted.
Carlos Zanabria, an adviser to the regional government of Arequipa, reported material damage in some districts and noted that residents had evacuated their homes in fear, though no deaths or injuries had been reported.
Flavio Aranguren, mayor of the Yauca district in Arequipa’s Caraveli province, informed RPP that some house walls had collapsed but confirmed no fatalities.
Yauca and neighboring towns, where small artisanal gold mines operate, did not report any impacts from the earthquake.
Ricardo Guillen, representative of the National Emergency Operations Center, mentioned power and telephone outages near the earthquake’s epicenter.
Ecuador and Peru lie within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent seismic activity due to the collision of continental plates.
With inputs from Reuters.