A three-year-old boy is the first confirmed fatality of the 7.5-magnitude earthquake that shook northern Peru on Sunday morning, authorities from the Amazonas Department reported on Monday.
The boy, who lived in the province of Condorcanqui, was buried by the wood of one of the houses destroyed by the earthquake, which caused his death almost instantaneously, said the regional director of Health, Elías Bohórquez, in statements. quoted by the Andean Agency.
Bohórquez added that the earthquake left at least 16 injured and damaged some 26 health centers in the region.
The strong earthquake on Sunday morning, which was also felt in southern Ecuador, left serious damage in northern Peru, for which President Pedro Castillo declared a state of emergency in the regions of Amazonas, Cajamarca, Loreto and San Martin.
The president addressed the nation on Monday night and emphasized that his government will work to serve the populations affected by the earthquake.
“From the first moment I have personally directed the actions on the same ground, so I guarantee that we will not rest until the entire affected population recovers the dignified living conditions that all Peruvians deserve,” Castillo said.
The National Institute of Civil Defense of Peru detailed that as of Monday there were some 2,412 victims, as well as 117 homes destroyed, 375 uninhabitable and 764 damaged.
The 7.5-degree earthquake was registered on Sunday at 5:52 AM, local time, with its epicenter 98 kilometers east of Santa María de Nieva, capital of the province of Condorcanqui, Amazonas region.