Five people have died and 21 others sustained injuries after a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Andes region of Peru on Saturday night, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
According to the Geophysics Institute of Peru, the earthquake rocked the town of Chongos Bajo, located about 300 kilometres (180 miles) east of the capital, Lima.
The institute said the quake originated at a depth of 24 kilometres (15 miles), with the tremor causing casualties and damage in the affected area.
Emergency officials are continuing to assess the impact of the earthquake as rescue and relief efforts remain underway.
“The earthquake destroyed our home. Here there are many adobe houses that collapsed,” an unnamed resident of Chongos Bajo told the N television network.
Because the epicenter was at a shallow depth and many houses in that area are made of adobe or a wood, cane and mud blend called “quincha,” some towns suffered significant damage, said General Luis Vasquez, the director of the National Civil Defense Institute.
“Forty-eight houses were destroyed and 300 people were left homeless,” he said.
Peru is situated on the so-called Pacific ring of fire, an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Seismologists say Peru experiences at least 400 earthquakes per year, three quarters of which are so weak people do not feel them.
