Lima: A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Peru’s Andean region on Saturday night, leaving at least five people dead, more than 20 injured, and hundreds displaced, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

The United States Geological Survey reported that the tremor occurred at 21:24 local time on Saturday. Its epicentre was situated 2 kilometres west-southwest of the city of Sicaya in Huancayo province, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Peru’s National Civil Defence Institute stated that the number of people missing remains uncertain. Several structures, including a local church and convent, collapsed or sustained significant structural damage. Luis Vásquez, head of the local civil defence office, noted that the prevalence of rustic adobe construction in the Andean region “has contributed to the greater impact and damage."

Earthquakes are common in Peru, as the nation is situated within the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

Local media broadcast footage from Chongo Bajo, an agricultural area that suffered heavily, showing residents gathered under blankets outside their ruined homes. Livestock were also seen trapped beneath the debris.

“My home has been destroyed,” Hermenegilda Guamalato told a local radio station as she searched for shelter for her three children in the neighbouring province of Huayucachi.

The country remains acutely aware of seismic risks; in 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit the province of Pisco in the Ica region, resulting in nearly 600 fatalities.

AP