A 4-year-old girl died and dozens of other people were affected after the strong earthquake that was felt at noon this Saturday in the northern Peruvian region of Tumbes, with its epicenter in Ecuadorreported official sources.
The Peruvian Minister of Health, Rosa Gutiérrez, reported that the minor died from a “severe brain injury.”
“The death of a 4-year-old minor is confirmed, who was transferred to the Regional Hospital of Tumbes, after being injured as a result of the fall from a calamine (part of a roof) of his home”, reported the National Emergency Center (COEN) on Twitter.
The agency also pointed out that a preliminary report indicated that in the three provinces of the Tumbes region dozens of victims and affected people were identifiedas well as destroyed, disabled and affected homes, as well as health centers and other infrastructure.
He explained that in the province of Tumbes there are 46 people affected and 14 homelessin addition to 12 affected homes, 4 disabled and 2 affected health centers.
In Tumbes, Minister Rosa Gutiérrez mourned the death of the minor, after the earthquake in the region. She “She lost her life from a severe head injury. The Minsa will cover, through the @SISPeruOficialwhat is needed to give him a Christian burial.” pic.twitter.com/qZD1UIzgJU
— Ministry of Health (@Minsa_Peru) March 18, 2023
In the province of Rear Admiral Villar 12 people affected and 4 damaged homes were reportedwhile in the province of Zarumilla, 15 people were reported affected, as well as 4 homes destroyed and another 6 affected.
The agency also reported that the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) “updated” the magnitude of the earthquake to 6.7after having initially reported that it was 7, while the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School of Ecuador established it at 6.5.
After the telluric movement, the president of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola, arrived in Tumbes from the neighboring region of Piura, Where was he on a work visit?.
PNP staff provide help with #earthquake of 7.0 occurred in #Tumbes. Agents from the San José police station cordoned off the area where a wall fell after the strong movement, also Emergency agents patrol the streets to verify the damage caused.#DeLaManoPorElPerú pic.twitter.com/7aU6MJBkMS
— Ministry of the Interior 🇵🇪 (@MininterPeru) March 18, 2023
“We have come to Tumbes to meet with the governor and make ourselves available to him, to see what are the damages and consequences“, declared the prime minister before regretting “very much what happened”.
Otárola announced that they had the report “of a girl who has suffered a shock trauma” during the earthquake and made “a call for calm to the public,” to which he told them to “rest assured” that the authorities will attend to the emergency.
Local media showed images of the moment of the earthquake in avenues and shopping centers in the city of Tumbes, where citizens took to the streets as a security measure, while it was reported that the earthquake was also felt in the regions of La Libertad and Ancashmore than 500 kilometers south of Tumbes.
Photo: @Agencia_Andina
The provincial mayor of Zarumilla, Christian Aguayo, told the RPP radio station that this has been “the strongest tremor I have been able to witness in my entire life.”
The Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation of the Navy assured that a tsunami warning has not been generated in the Pacific Ocean.
Peru and Ecuador are located in the area called the Pacific Ring of Fire, where approximately 85% of the world’s seismic activity is recorded. (EFE)