A POWERFUL earthquake ripped through Peru’s Andes region overnight, killing at least five people and leaving hundreds displaced as homes and a church collapsed, with authorities warning Sunday that an unknown number of people remain missing, the NBC News reported.
The magnitude 5.5 quake struck shortly after 9:20 p.m. Saturday near the city of Sicaya in central Peru, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake injured more than 20 people and forced at least 300 residents from their homes, Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said.
Officials were still trying to account for missing residents Sunday after several buildings collapsed or were left unsafe, including a local church and convent.
Authorities said the region’s widespread use of traditional adobe construction likely made the damage worse. Luis Vásquez, head of the local civil defense office, said the rustic building materials “contributed to the greater impact and damage.”
Hundreds left homeless after residences, church crumbled in Peru quake
