Earthquake in the jungle area of ​​Peru registers more than 2 thousand victims and twelve injured, according to authorities

More than 2,000 victims, 117 houses and five churches destroyed and 12 injured left by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that on Sunday shook the northern jungle of Peruauthorities reported Monday.

“So far we have reported 2,412 people affected, 117 homes destroyed and 12 injured”said Miguel Yamasaki, director of Civil Defense, when updating the balance of damages.

He indicated that five churches and a health center were also destroyed, as well as more than 1.5 kilometers of roads.

On Sunday afternoon the Civil Defense had reported la destruction of 76 houses and 1,223 victims, in addition to 12 injured, figure that did not change in the balance of this Monday.

The telluric movement was recorded Sunday at 5:52 a.m. local time (10:52 GMT) with an epicenter 98 kilometers east of Santa María de Nieva, in the Amazon region, in the northern jungle of Peru, and at a depth of 131 kilometers, according to the local Geophysical Institute.

Peru earthquake was due to an internal deformation of the Nazca plate

The great depth of the earthquake caused the shock wave to be greater and affect almost half of the country, including Lima, 1,000 km south of the epicenter.

“We do not want to have dire consequences,” said Peruvian President Pedro Catillo, who is inspecting the affected area for the second day this Monday.

The last earthquake of great magnitude and tragic consequencess occurred in Peru at the port of Pisco (200 km south of Peru) on August 15, 2007, when a 7.9-degree earthquake left 595 dead.

The president indicated that in jungle villages there are still “People who are waiting to be rescued”, to whom the government will provide food and tents.

Peru is shaken each year by at least 400 perceptible earthquakes, as it is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of ​​extensive telluric activity that extends along the west coast of the American continent. (I)