Tuesday, August 16, 2016

5.2-magnitude earthquake : 9 killed in southern Peru

At least nine people have died and an undetermined amount of people have been injured after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit Peru's south Andean region of Areguipa Sunday evening, the country's Civil Defense Institute said Monday.

Six fatalities have been registered in the district of Yanque and another three in Achoma, both in the province of Caylloma, the authorities said.

However, the death toll could rise as damage was still unknown in remote villages in the nearby Caylloma districts of Coporaque, Ichupampa, Chivay and Maca, about 1,000 km from Lima. They were still inaccessible.

One of the fatalities has been confirmed as Vaun Ken Edan, a 67-year-old tourist from the United States, said the Governor of Arequipa, Yamila Osorio.

The US citizen died in the Hotel Lodge Inn in the neighboring town of Yanque which suffered serious damage, according to the institute.

Peru's Geophysical Institute (IGP) said that the earthquake took place around 21:58 local time with a depth of eight kilometers, 10 kilometers to the southeast of the town of Chivay.

Peru's President, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, told local media that humanitarian aid has been sent to Arequipa to tend to the 60 injured and 129 people affected.

"We are transporting the necessary aid to Caylloma and its affected districts," said the president.

Peru's Minister of Defense, Mariano Gonzalez, said Monday morning that three helicopters had been sent to check out the region, located more than 3,500 meters above sea level.

In order to verify the damage and to see what aid was needed, rescue helicopters will also provide temporary housing, food, water and medical assistance as well as evacuating the injured and affected.


  • Roads connecting the nearby villages with Chivay have been blocked by landslides. Authorities said heavy equipment is also being sent to the area to remove the rubble on the roads.

  • According to preliminary figures, a total of 1,056 houses were affected, some completely destroyed and others with partial damage.

According to the IGP, between midnight and Monday morning, on average, there were 50 aftershocks, all lower than 4.5-magnitude.

A report from the central government said that the damage was being evaluated and a state of emergency will probably be declared.

Peru is a country with recurrent earthquakes and an earthquake that struck the province of Pisco, 237 km south of Lima, on Aug. 15, 2007, caused 596 deaths.
 [Xinhua -globaltimes.cn]
16/8/16

2 comments:

  1. Au moins neuf personnes sont mortes et 40 ont été blessées dans un séisme de magnitude 5,2 qui a frappé le sud du Pérou dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, ont annoncé les autorités et les secours...

    Selon l'Institut de géophysique du Pérou, l'épicentre du séisme était situé à dix kilomètres de Chivay, capitale de la province de Caylloma, et à seulement huit kilomètres de profondeur. Le tremblement de terre a été suivi de plusieurs répliques lundi à l'aube. "On a senti une secousse très forte qui a causé des dégâts dans toute la vallée de Colca, les communications avec les villages voisins ont été coupées, et nous avons demandé des engins pour pouvoir dégager les accès. Il y a des morts", a déclaré à la radio RPP le maire de Caylloma, Rómulo Tinta.

    La gouverneure régionale de Arequipa, Yamila Osorio, a quant à elle évoqué un bilan de plusieurs morts, sans plus de précision, et "plus de 80 maisons" dévastées.

    La priorité, évacuer les blessés

    L'une des villes les plus touchées a été Yanque, commune rurale où les maisons sont construites de manière artisanale. "Ce dont nous avons le plus besoin, c'est d'évacuer les blessés", a expliqué la maire de Yanque, Anastasia Suyco, précisant qu'environ 1200 personnes habitent dans le secteur.

    "Il y a des gens qui ont été écrasés par des murs, ici les constructions sont rustiques", a-t-elle ajouté. Dans la commune, située à 3.600 mètres d'altitude, 60% des logements se sont effondrés selon elle. En attendant une aide par voie aérienne, le transport d'eau, de nourriture et de vêtements aux sinistrés se faisait lundi matin par route.
    Belga/rtbf.be

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  2. Almeno 9 morti, 52 feriti e 150 case rese inagibili...

    È questo il bilancio della scossa sismica di magnitudo 5,2 gradi della scala Richter che ha colpito alle prime ore di ieri la parte meridionale del Perù. La provincia più colpita dal sisma è risultata essere quella di Caylloma.

    Tra le vittime un turista americano travolto nel crollo dell'albergo dove alloggiava. L'istituto di Geofisica del Perù ha localizzato l'epicentro vicino alla località di Chivay e ad una profondità di circa 8 chilometri. Nella regione sono arrivati il vicepresidente del Perú, Martín Vizcarra, e il ministro della Difesa, Mariano González.

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