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January 15, 2018

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Peru’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake kills 2

Source: Agencies | 00:01 UTC+8 January 15, 2018 | Print Edition

A strong magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the coast of southern Peru yesterday morning, leaving two dead, 17 missing and several dozen injured, while causing homes and roads to collapse.

The quake hit offshore at 4:18am local time at a depth of around 36 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said. Its epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean 40km from the town of Acari.

Arequipa Governor Yamila Osorio said on Twitter that a 55-year old man died in the town of Yauca after being crushed by rock. Jorge Chavez, chief of Peru’s Civil Defense Institute (INDECI), told local radio station RPP that a second death was reported in the town of Bella Union.

INDECI said on Twitter that 65 people were injured.

“There are several homes affected and it is possible that the count of victims and injured will rise,” Chavez said.

Peru’s health minister said 17 people were missing after an informal mine east of the coastal city of Chala collapsed 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, she said.

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 Peruvian coast.

Peru is the world’s No. 2 copper producer, but many of the mines in the south are located far inland from the coastal region where the quake struck.

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