An 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Peru on Sunday morning, according to preliminary readings from the United States Geological Survey.
The earthquake’s epicenter was at an approximate depth of 115 km, according to USGS, and could be felt as far afield as Lima, Peru; Caracas, Venezuela; and Quito, Ecuador.
There are reports of injuries and damages to homes and roadways, Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra said in a statement on state TV.
Pictures posted on Twitter by the Ministry of the Interior of Peru showed considerable damage and building collapses in Yurimaguas, a town with over 62,000 inhabitants.
#AHORA Información de la @PoliciaPeru en #Yurimaguas da cuenta sobre derrumbes de casonas en AA.HH. Las Praderas. Asimismo, en barrio de Macao, en el distrito de San Lorenzo, provincia Datem del Marañón, policías brindan protección y calma a población afectada. pic.twitter.com/gAc9UbNU1t
— Ministerio del Interior 🇵🇪 (@MininterPeru) May 26, 2019
CNN reports that the most affected areas were the cities of Yurimaguas and Tarapoto in the Peruvian Amazon, Vizcarra said. “We already have reports of injuries, of affected homes, collapsed highways and a bridge that connects Yurimaguas with Tarapoto has also collapsed,” Vizcarra said.
The country’s civil protection agency is sending teams to the affected areas, he added. Five injuries were confirmed by the country’s health ministry on Twitter.Two of the injured are from the city of Yurimaguas, and the other injuries were from other provinces in the Amazon region, the ministry said.
“The strong earthquake that occurred early this morning was felt in several regions of the country,” Vizcarra tweeted earlier Sunday.
“We are evaluating the affected areas. I ask all of our citizens to remain calm.”
The earthquake was the strongest in Peru in 12 years, Vizcarra said.
