5.1-magnitude earthquake jolts Peru; eight killed, half a dozen injured

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolted the southern parts of Peru on Sunday, killing at least eight people including four children.

Lima: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolted the southern parts of Peru on Sunday, killing at least eight people including four children.

As per the reports, around eight people including four children were killed and nearly six got injured as the tremors hit Paruro province in the Andean region of Cusco late Saturday night, Xinhua quoted the Geophysical Institute of Peru as saying.

The victims were all from the community of Misca, where some 60 houses collapsed and around 300 people were affected, Peru National Institute of Civil Defence said.

"We toured the area and we have confirmed the deaths of eight people: a male and seven females, four of them minors," Rodrigo Prada Vargas, Cusco police chief, told local radio.

Civil Defense officials said at least half a dozen injured individuals had received aid.

The quake struck at 10:35 pm (0335 GMT) yesterday, 19 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of the town of Urcos at a depth of 43 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.

Roads to the community became blocked said police, who only reached the area at dawn.

Government minister Ana Jara reported on Twitter that Peru had ordered humanitarian aid to the area.

(With AFP inputs)

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.