At least six people have died and more than thirty have been injured due to the earthquake that affected the province of Chupaca, in the region of Junín, in the central highlands of Peru on the night of this Saturday.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1 and was followed by a replica of 3.7, according to official reports known this Sunday.
The National Institute of Civil Defense of Peru, Indeci, has confirmed in its latest report that the death toll stands at six.
More than thirty injured
The Deputy Minister of Health of Peru, Henry Rebaza, has explained to Canal N that 26 injured people have already been discharged after receiving medical attention.
Another six remain hospitalized, so the total number of injured exceeds thirty.
Health authorities are keeping attention on the admitted patients and on possible new medical needs in the affected areas.
A vulnerable area in the central highlands
The earthquake struck an area of the central highlands of Peru where many communities have vulnerable housing and access difficulties.
In this type of emergency, the first assessment usually focuses on victims and injuries, but later come the evaluations of material damage, road impacts, basic services, and possible risks in buildings.
The work of the emergency teams is now concentrated on verifying the state of the affected areas, assisting the victims, and checking if there are houses or infrastructures at risk after the main movement and the subsequent replica.
Indeci evaluates the damages
The Indeci coordinates the response along with local and regional authorities.
Its work includes damage assessment, identification of urgent needs, and deployment of assistance for the affected population. In an earthquake of this nature, replicas can increase the risk for houses already weakened by the first quake.
That is why authorities usually ask the population to avoid damaged structures, stay alert to official information, and follow the instructions of Civil Defense.
Peru, a country exposed to earthquakes
Peru is located in one of the most seismically active zones in the world, within the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.
Tectonic activity is frequent and forces the country to maintain protocols for prevention, response, and evacuation in the event of earthquakes. Even so, the impact of each earthquake depends not only on the magnitude but also on the depth, proximity to populated areas, and the resilience of the constructions.
In Chupaca, the provisional balance already leaves a serious figure: six dead, more than thirty injured, and a region pending to know the full extent of the damages.