A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the coast of southern Peru this morning, leaving one man dead and several dozen injured.
Authorities reversed earlier statements that a second person had died and that 17 people were missing in a mine, signs that the human toll of the quake may not be as drastic as previously feared.
The quake hit offshore at 4:18am local time (9.18 GMT) at a depth of around 22.4 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in the Pacific Ocean 25 miles from the town of Acari, where a man is pictured going through rubble
The epicentre was in the Pacific Ocean 25 miles from the town of Acari.
A 55-year-old man died in the town of Yauca after being crushed by rock, Arequipa Governor Yamila Osorio said on Twitter.
Jorge Chavez, chief of Peru’s Civil Defense Institute, told local radio station RPP that 65 people were injured but withdrew his earlier statement that a second person had died in the town of Bella Union.
‘The victim reportedly found in Bella Union has not been confirmed,’ Chavez said. ‘Officially, we only have one death.’
Chavez said damage to roads was impeding help from arriving to the most-affected zones, which are mainly rural and remote.
Aid workers and supplies would be flown in from nearby cities, he added.
President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said he would travel to the towns of Acari and Chala ‘to verify the magnitude of the damages and send the corresponding humanitarian aid.’
Health Minister Abel Salinas Rivas told RPP that rescue workers spoke with representatives of the informal Estrella mine and confirmed that no one was missing from there.
Jorge Chavez, chief of Peru’s Civil Defense Institute, withdrew his earlier statement that a second person had died in the town of Bella Union. Pictured: A damaged building in Acari
A 55-year-old man died in the town of Yauca(shown on this map) after being crushed by rock, Arequipa Governor Yamila Osorio said on Twitter
Rivas had said earlier that 17 people were missing after the mine east of Chala suffered damages following the quake.
Several municipalities were without electricity, and many roads and adobe houses had collapsed, Osorio said.
Many residents of Lomas, a coastal town, were evacuated after feeling an aftershock.
Earthquakes are common in Peru, but many homes are built with precarious materials that cannot withstand them.
In 2007 an earthquake killed hundreds in the region of Ica.
Peruvian maritime authorities said the quake did not produce a tsunami on the coast.
Peru is the world’s number two copper producer, although many of the mines in the south are located far inland from where the quake struck.
The epicentre(pictured as a star on this map) was in the Pacific Ocean 25 miles from the town of Acari
A representative of Southern Copper Corp said there were no reports of damage at its Cuajone and Toquepala mines in the Moguegua and Tacna regions.
Jesus Revilla, a union leader at the Cerro Verde copper mine in Arequipa, said there were no reports that operations had been affected.
The quake was also felt in northern Chile, Peru’s southern neighbor.
Chile’s National Emergency offices said there were no reports of injuries, damage to infrastructure, or interruption of basic services.
The nation’s navy said the quake did not meet the conditions that would produce a tsunami off its coast.