Powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits southern Peru
At least eight people have been injured after a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern Peru overnight Friday at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGC).
The quake hit 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of Atiquipa, about 600 kilometers (372 miles) south of the capital Lima.
Some residents of Atiquipa said on social media they felt a very strong and long quake that caused their beds to shake.
CCTV footage from the nearby town of Caraveli shows a residential street as the tremor shakes violently and people come out of their houses.
The quake was felt as far as the capital. Video posted to social media shows lamps swaying inside houses in Lima.
Eight people have been injured in the incident, according to authorities. Of those, five received medical attention in two hospitals in the Ica region and three were treated for minor injuries at a hospital in the neighboring Arequipa region, both in southwestern Peru, the ministry of health said Friday morning.
No deaths have been registered following the quake, according to Prime Minister, Gustavo Adrianzen.
“We are just finishing analyzing the preliminary reports which tell us that there are no deaths, and we are monitoring the impact on infrastructures,” Adrianzen told radio RPP, according to Andina, the Peruvian news agency.
The Peruvian Presidency said on X that the government is monitoring the situation and evaluating any possible damage.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially issued an alert warning of “possible” tsunami waves reaching up to 1 to 3 meters along some coastal areas in Peru. But it later dropped the alert, saying there was no tsunami warning, advisory or threat.
“There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake,” the PTWC said.
Peru, and most of the South American Pacific Coast, are on border of two tectonic plates: the South American plate, which includes most of the continent, and the Nazca plate, which extends across the Pacific along most of the coast.
