Peru: Dozens injured after severe earthquake

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President Pedro Castillo visits injured people in hospital

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PRESIDENCY OF PERU / HANDOUT / EPA

More than 40 people were injured in a severe earthquake in northern Peru.

Three people suffered serious injuries when walls collapsed, the hospital in Sullana announced on Friday.

One of the seriously injured was a pregnant woman.

Around ten people suffered broken bones.

The center of the quake with a magnitude of 6.1 was twelve kilometers west of the town of Sullana in the Piura department at a depth of 36 kilometers, according to the seismological center of the South American country.

The tremors were felt in large parts of the region and also in neighboring Ecuador.

According to civil defense, around 190 buildings were damaged, and six houses were uninhabitable after the quake.

Damage to roads, sewers and power lines was also reported.

The radio station RPP reported that parts of the facade of the cathedral in the provincial capital Piura had fallen onto the street.

Numerous people therefore left the buildings in which they had been and went outside.

Landslides have also been reported in the Colán district on the Pacific coast.

President Pedro Castillo left a military parade marking the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Lima and traveled to Piura, where he visited the injured in hospital.

"Our solidarity goes to the victims and those affected by the earthquake in Piura," wrote the head of state, who was sworn in on Wednesday, on Twitter.

"Our priority is to protect the physical integrity of all citizens."

In Peru there are always strong earthquakes because different plates of the earth's crust collide in the region.

The entire west coast of the American double continent lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is known for its high seismic activity.

mak / AFX