Earthquake leaves 41 injured in northern Peru
Lima, Jul 30 (EFE).- At least 41 people were injured Friday when a magnitude-6.1 earthquake rocked northern Peru’s Piura region, authorities said.
Minutes after the temblor was detected at 12:10 pm (1710 GMT), President Pedro Castillo left an independence day military parade in Lima to travel to the stricken region nearly 1,000 km (600 mi) north of the capital.
The director of the hospital in Sullana, 12 km (7.5 mi) from the epicenter, told Canal N television that 15 of the 35 people admitted with injuries related to the quake had already been released.
Health centers in Piura city were treating six other people hurt in the temblor, regional health secretary Jose Nizama said.
A pregnant woman was among three people who suffered serious injuries.
The woman was crushed under a wall that collapsed and a 2-year-old girl fell from the second floor of a home, according to media outlets.
“So far there have been no fatalities,” Nizama said, though adding that four hospitals in the region had been damaged.
The National Emergency Operations Center said it received reports of landslides in the coastal town of La Esmeralda and damage to residences, churches and public infrastructure.
The earthquake comes just two days into the administration of Castillo, a political newcomer who ran as the standard-bearer of the leftist Peru Libre party.
“Our government will make every effort possible to alleviate the situation of those affected. Never again will a Peruvian be alone in the face of adversity,” Vice President Dina Boluarte said in Lima as Castillo was en route to Piura. EFE dub/dr
