Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake in Peru Injures 27, Damages Buildings

(CNA Lima, 20th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) Peruvian officials stated that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the southern region near the Pacific late last night, injuring 27 people and damaging multiple buildings. No deaths have been reported so far. The Associated Press reported that the U.S. Geological Survey indicated the earthquake's epicenter was located 20 kilometers southeast of the town of Pampa de Tate in the Ica region, at a depth of 56.5 kilometers. Peru's Defense Minister, Amadeo Flores, traveled to the area to inspect the situation and visited some of the damaged buildings, including the San Luis Gonzaga National University. Peru is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of volcanoes and fault lines that encircles the Pacific Basin, where earthquakes are quite frequent.