Lima, Peru, en.SERU.co.id — The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Peru’s central Junín region on Saturday night, July 18, 2026, has climbed to at least six, with dozens injured and hundreds displaced. Rescue teams were still searching through rubble on Monday morning amid ongoing aftershocks.
Different monitoring agencies reported the earthquake between magnitude 5.1 and 5.6. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the main shock at magnitude 5.5. It struck at 9:24 p.m. local time (PET) on July 18, followed shortly by a 3.7-magnitude aftershock. The epicenter was located about 10 km west-northwest of Huancayo, near Chupaca, approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Lima, at a depth of around 10 kilometers.
Luis Vasquez, head of Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute (INDECI), reported that at least 48 homes, mostly traditional adobe structures, were completely destroyed and another 18 seriously damaged, forcing around 300 residents into emergency shelters.
“The earthquake destroyed our home. There are many adobe houses here that collapsed,” a resident of Chongos Bajo told N television, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
All confirmed fatalities occurred in the village of Pumpunya in Chongos Bajo district. At least 32 people were injured, and several others remain missing under the debris. Damage was also reported to public buildings, including a religious monument and hospitals in Huancayo, with power outages affecting several areas.
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President-elect Keiko Fujimori expressed her condolences on social media:
“I deeply regret the consequences of the earthquake that occurred in Junin. I express my most heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have passed away and my solidarity with those who have been affected.”
Peru lies along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire. The quakes resulted from normal faulting within the South American Plate, similar to damaging events in the same region in 1969.
As of Monday, July 20, 2026, search and rescue efforts continue while authorities assess the full extent of the damage. The casualty figures may still rise.
