A significant earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck near the coast in southern Peru’s Arequipa region on Friday, according to local officials cited by Reuters. While no fatalities have been reported, eight individuals sustained injuries. Initially, David Aponte, Chief of Disaster Risk Management and National Defense at the Ministry of Health, informed local radio station RPP about three minor injuries. Later on, the Ministry of Health verified that five more people had received medical treatment at nearby hospitals.
In the aftermath of the quake, Arequipa experienced four aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 4 to 4.6, causing some landslides on local roads. The government announced via social media that it is closely monitoring the situation to evaluate damage and decide on necessary actions.
The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a tsunami alert for parts of Peru’s coast with expected waves between 1 and 3 meters above tide level. However, Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen later confirmed that this warning had been lifted for the Arequipa coast.
Carlos Zanabria, an adviser to Arequipa’s regional government, reported material damage in several districts and noted that residents evacuated their homes out of fear but confirmed no deaths or injuries occurred. Flavio Aranguren, mayor of Yauca district in Caraveli province within Arequipa, told RPP about some collapsed house walls but assured there were no fatalities in Yauca or neighboring towns where small artisanal gold mines operate.
Ricardo Guillen from the National Emergency Operations Center mentioned power and telephone outages near the earthquake’s epicenter. Both Ecuador and Peru are situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire—a zone known for frequent seismic activity due to continental plate collisions.
