At least six people died and more than 30 were injured by the 5.1 magnitude earthquake, and a subsequent aftershock of 3.7, that affected the province of Chupaca, in the Junín region, in the central highlands of Peru, on Saturday night, official sources reported this Sunday.
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The National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) indicated in its latest report that there were six fatalities, while the Vice Minister of Health of Peru, Henry Rebaza, told Canal N that 26 injured people have already been discharged after receiving medical attention and another six remain hospitalized.
Rebaza pointed out that these figures are part of the first damage reports of the impact caused by the earthquakes in Chupaca, with greater impact in the district of Chongos Bajo, where the deaths occurred and “numerous affected structures” have also been warned, he added.
UPDATE: A shallow M5.5 earthquake hit central Peru, centered 2 km WSW of Sicaya, Junín.
Struck at a 10 km depth; authorities confirm at least 5 people were killed.
Heavy structural damage reported across Huancayo province.
Sismo – Terremoto – Perú – Sicaya pic.twitter.com/qbEHztwGXq
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) July 19, 2026
“All areas in this problem are being monitored, the most important thing is health; we are also monitoring the damage,” he added before saying that a specialized team from the city of Huancayo, the capital of Junín, was the first to arrive at the area.
The vice minister added that in Chupaca there are about a hundred health personnel, including doctors, nurses and local brigades, and that more specialized personnel and a mobile hospital are being sent.
Indeci’s report added, for its part, that in Chongos Bajo there was damage to homes and health facilities, as well as to the transmission of electrical energy and tourist infrastructure.
The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.1, was recorded at 9:24 p.m. on Saturday (2:24 a.m. GMT on Sunday), with an epicenter located 7 kilometers south of Chongos Bajo and a depth of 24 kilometers, while 17 minutes later a 3.7 magnitude aftershock was reported, with an epicenter 14 kilometers south of the same town and at a depth of 18 kilometers.
Most of the damage was concentrated in that district, where the deaths were recorded, while the injured were reported by the Daniel Alcides Carrión National Hospital of the Center, in Huancayo, which also registered damage to its facilities.
Damage was also reported at the El Carmen Regional Maternal and Child Hospital, in Huancayo, and the Cani Cruz de Chongos Alto cross, a stone religious monument, collapsed, as did parts of the Old Convent of Santiago de León.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.