A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the southern Pacific coast of Peru early Friday morning. According to initial official reports, there were no fatalities, but some minor injuries.
The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 12:36 a.m. (0536 GMT) on Friday. The epicenter was located 28 kilometers deep in the Pacific Ocean, 8 kilometers west of the coast of the Atiquipa district, in the province of Caravelí, 634 kilometers south of the capital, Lima, and near the border with Chile and Bolivia.
“We are making the first evaluations and thank God at this time we have no fatalities recorded,” said the Prime Minister of Peru, Gustavo Adrianzén, to local radio RPP, although he added that there is “damage to some properties.”
Peru is a country prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The Hydrography and Navigation Directorate of the Peruvian Navy reported that the earthquake generated a tsunami alert on the Peruvian coast.
Adrianzén later said that the Navy’s tsunami warning had been dismissed, “although there could be some abnormal waves.”
The head of the Health Ministry’s disaster risk management department, David Aponte, said three minor injuries had been reported.
After the earthquake, at least four aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.0 and 4.6 were recorded in the Arequipa region, according to the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP).
Carlos Zanabria, an adviser to the Arequipa regional government, said residents had fled their homes in fear and some material damage was reported in some districts.
The mayor of the Yauca district, Flavio Aranguren, stated that in his community “some walls have fallen from some homes, although so far there have been no deaths.”
Small artisanal gold mines operate in the town of Yauca and other neighboring towns near the coast, but there was no information available until now about any impact.
Ricardo Guillén, a COEN representative, said that power and telephone line cuts have been reported in areas close to the epicenter of the earthquake.
Peru, a major mineral producer, lies in a region of high seismicity facing the Nazca tectonic plate in the Pacific Ocean.
[Con información de Reuters y AP]
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