Deadly Andes Quake Shakes Peru, Leaves Hundreds Displaced

At about 9:24 p.m. on Saturday, a shallow 5.5‑magnitude quake rattled the Andes near the town of Sicaya in Huancayo province. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter just two kilometres west‑south‑west of the city, about ten kilometres deep.

Local authorities quickly confirmed a grim toll: at least six people dead, more than thirty injured, and roughly three‑hundred residents forced to flee their homes. The numbers are still shifting as rescue crews comb through the rubble.

What makes the damage especially severe is the way many homes are built here – traditional adobe walls that crumble under even modest shaking. Luis Vásquez, the head of the local civil‑defense office, told reporters that the “rustic adobe material” amplified the quake’s impact.

Among the worst‑hit structures was the historic Santiago de León church in Chongos Bajo, a 16th‑century gem dating back to 1565. The building, designated a national heritage site, suffered a partial collapse, sending dust and stone scattering across the plaza.

Witnesses described scenes that were both heartbreaking and surreal. In one neighborhood, families huddled under blankets beside the twisted wreckage of their homes, while a motorized tricycle lay hopelessly trapped in a heap of broken adobe bricks. Animals – goats, chickens, even a stray dog – were seen crouched amid the debris.

“My house is gone,” sobbed Hermenegilda Guamalato on a local radio call‑in. She and her three children are now staying with relatives in the nearby province of Huayucachi, hoping to find a safer roof before the next after‑shock.

Peru, perched along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is no stranger to earthquakes. The memory of the devastating 7.9‑magnitude quake that ripped through Pisco in 2007 – killing nearly 600 – still lingers. Yet each new tremor reminds residents how vulnerable they remain, especially in remote Andean communities where help can take hours to arrive.

National Civil Defense officials say the search for missing persons continues, and they urge anyone in the region to stay alert for possible after‑shocks, avoid damaged structures, and follow official safety instructions.