Peru Earthquake in Junín Region Kills Six and Injures Dozens

Prime Minister Luis Enrique Arroyo confirms casualties in Chupaca and Chongos Bajo

The earthquake, which occurred at 9:24 p.m. local time on Saturday, originated at a shallow depth of 24 kilometers near the district of Chongos Bajo in the province of Chupaca, approximately 300 kilometers east of Lima. While initial reports from the Instituto Nacional de Defesa Civil (Indeci) cited five deaths and 21 injured earlier on Sunday, the official death toll was later updated to six, with 32 people reported injured. Prime Minister Luis Enrique Arroyo confirmed these figures to the television channel TV Peru, noting, O que temos até agora são 6 mortos e 32 feridos.

Structural Vulnerability and Damage in Junín

General Luis Vásquez identifies adobe dwellings as the source of mass displacement

The high casualty count and property destruction are largely attributed to the region’s building materials. Many of the homes in the area surrounding Huancayo and Chongos Bajo are constructed from adobe—tijolos artesanais—and quincha, a type of straw-based construction. General Luis Vásquez, head of Indeci, explained that the combination of the earthquake’s shallow depth and the vulnerability of these traditional materials contributed to the severe damage. According to official data, 48 moradias (dwellings) were destroyed, and approximately 300 people were left displaced, receiving assistance in the form of tents and blankets from regional authorities.

Infrastructure damage extended beyond private residences. In Chongos Bajo, the religious monument known as “Cani Cruzcollapsed, and the ancient convent ofSantiago de León” sustained significant structural failures. Additionally, the Hospital Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión in Huancayo, which treated the majority of the 32 reported injuries, suffered damage to its own facilities. Residents were observed in the aftermath of the quake, with many gathered under blankets outside of severely damaged homes. One resident of Chongos Bajo told a television channel, O terremoto destruiu nosso lar. Aqui há muitas casas de adobe que desabaram.

Geological Context and Seismic Activity

Instituto Geofísico do Peru attributes the tremor to the Altos del Mantaro fault

The earthquake’s impact was magnified by its shallow focus, which allowed the seismic energy to reach the surface with greater intensity. The Instituto Geofísico do Peru (IGP) identified the cause as the reactivation of the Altos del Mantaro tectonic fault. Following the main event at 21h24, the IGP recorded 12 aftershocks, most of which were of low magnitude. The Centro Sismológico Nacional noted that a secondary tremor of magnitude 3.7 occurred with an interval of 17 minutes after the initial event, at a depth of 18 kilometers.

For more on this story, see Sismo de 5.1 en Junín EN VIVO: movimiento telúrico provocó derrumbes y heridos.

While the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 5.5 and a depth of 10 kilometers with an epicenter near the city of Sicaya, Peruvian national authorities maintained the magnitude 5.1 and 24-kilometer depth measurements. The region remains part of the Cinturão de Fogo do Pacífico (Pacific Ring of Fire), where 85% of the planet’s seismic activity occurs. Peru experiences frequent tremors, with at least 400 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 occurring annually, of which approximately one hundred are perceptible to the population.

Government Response and Humanitarian Aid

President José María Balcázar coordinates search and rescue for the periphery of Huancayo

Peruvian authorities have mobilized to address the needs of the displaced population. President José María Balcázar stated in an interview with Rádio Nacional that the government responded immediately with o envio de ajuda humanitária e a coordenação com as autoridades para atender as famílias afetadas e lhes oferecer assistência urgente. Furthermore, Keiko Fujimori, in a statement on social media, declared, Lamento profundamente as consequências do sismo. Expresso minhas sinceras condolências aos familiares das pessoas que morreram e minha solidariedade com aqueles que foram afetados.

The Centro Nacional de Operações de Emergência reported that response operations, including search and rescue missions and damage assessments (#EDAN), are ongoing. As rescue teams continue to work, particularly in the periphery of Huancayo where 19 houses collapsed, the government continues to monitor the situation for survivors, though the total number of missing persons remains officially unknown.

Sources: G1, Estadão.