At least five people have died and 21 others were injured after a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck Peru’s Andes region, authorities said on Sunday.
The earthquake occurred on Saturday night, shaking the town of Chongos Bajo, about 300 kilometres east of the capital, Lima, according to the Geophysics Institute of Peru. The epicentre was recorded at a shallow depth of 24 kilometres.
The tremor caused extensive damage in communities where many homes are built with adobe or quincha, a traditional mixture of wood, cane and mud.
“The earthquake destroyed our home. Here there are many adobe houses that collapsed,” a resident of Chongos Bajo told local television.
General Luis Vasquez, Director of the National Civil Defense Institute, said 48 houses were destroyed, leaving about 300 people homeless.
Emergency responders have been assessing the damage and assisting affected residents in the area.
Peru lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent seismic activity that stretches across the Pacific Ocean. The South American country experiences around 400 earthquakes annually, although most are too weak to be felt.