Search and rescue crews continue to search for survivors after two earthquakes — magnitude 5.1 and 3.7 — hit Peru’s Andes region in quick succession Saturday night. At least six people are confirmed dead, and 21 others are injured, according to a report from Reuters.
Officials said they are not sure how many additional people could still be trapped beneath the rubble.
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The earthquake damaged two hospitals in the region, as well as historic sites, including the Cani Cruz stone cross and the Santiago de León convent.
Officials from Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute told local media the quakes destroyed nearly 48 homes and damaged more than 15 others. Those officials also said the style of building construction in the area — which primarily relies on rustic adobe materials — “has contributed to the greater impact and damage.”
An initial report from the European Seismological Center indicated the initial shock was a magnitude 5.6 quake, and the U.S. Geological Survey called it a magnitude 5.5 quake with a very shallow depth — 10 kilometers, or about six miles, below the surface.
Peru is located along the “Ring of Fire,” an area around the Pacific Ocean home to more than 80% of the world’s seismic activity.
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