Two Earthquakes Kill 6, Injure 21 in Peru's Junin Region

Two earthquakes struck Peru's Junin region on Saturday night, killing at least six people and injuring 21, according to the country's civil defence chief. The quakes, magnitudes 5.1 and 3.7, hit Chupaca province about 300km east of Lima. The first struck at a depth of 24km, the second at 18km. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported the first quake at magnitude 5.6. Luis Vasquez, head of Peru's National Civil Defence Institute, told local radio Exitosa that preliminary reports show about 48 homes destroyed and 18 damaged, affecting around 300 people who are receiving tents. Homes in the affected communities are typically rudimentary adobe structures. Peru lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which accounts for roughly 85% of the world's seismic activity.