PERU EARTHQUAKES KILL AT LEAST FIVE, DAMAGE HOSPITALS

Two earthquakes struck the Junín region of central Peru on Saturday night, killing at least five people and injuring others, according to reports from authorities. The first earthquake measured magnitude 5.1 and struck Chupaca province, about 300 kilometres east of Lima, at a depth of 24 kilometres. A second earthquake of magnitude 3.7 struck the same area 17 minutes later. One report put the death toll at six with 21 injured, while another reported at least five dead and around ten injured. Peru's National Seismological Centre confirmed the magnitudes and depths of both quakes, though the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially reported the first earthquake at magnitude 5.6.

Significant structural damage affected the region, with preliminary reports indicating around 48 homes destroyed and 18 damaged, displacing approximately 300 people who were provided with tents. The worst damage occurred in the district of Chongos Bajo. In the regional capital Huancayo, two hospitals sustained damage: the Daniel Alcides Carrión Hospital, which treated injured persons, and the El Carmen Mother and Child Hospital, where cracks appeared in the paediatric intensive care unit. Several historic landmarks were also damaged, including the Cani Cruz stone cross in Chongos Alto and parts of the Santiago de León convent. Power cuts affected several districts, though the National Emergency Operations Committee reported that roads in the national highway network remained unaffected.

Peru lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone responsible for approximately 85 per cent of the world's earthquakes. According to authorities, earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher strike the Chupaca area roughly every 13 years, with smaller tremors far more common across the Junín region. Officials stated that whilst earthquakes cannot be predicted, seismic models help identify areas most at risk.