The two devastating earthquakes – the first measuring 7.2 and the second measuring 7.5 – that shook Venezuela Last Wednesday, June 24, they revived a question: how prepared is Peru for an earthquake of such magnitude?
The two devastating earthquakes – the first measuring 7.2 and the second measuring 7.5 – that shook Venezuela Last Wednesday, June 24, they revived a question: how prepared is Peru for an earthquake of such magnitude?
Earthquakes in Peru (2000-2026)
The scenario in Venezuela is devastating: more than 1,700 people dead, at least 5,000 injured and thousands of families digging through the rubble in search of their loved ones.
In 2007, Peru also experienced a tragedy caused by an earthquake. On August 15 of that year, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake shook Pisco, in Ica, south of Lima. The result was painful: almost 600 dead, more than 2,000 injured and thousands of victims.
This is how this newspaper reported about the devastating earthquake in Pisco. Cover of Thursday, August 16, 2007. (El Comercio Archive)
So far in the 21st century, devastating earthquakes have hit different regions of the country. Loreto, in the Amazon, and Arequipa, in the south, are among the most affected areas.
ECData reviews the strongest earthquakes that have occurred in the country and the world in the last 26 years.
In that period, 62 earthquakes were recorded in Peru of more than 6 degrees, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), an institution of the USA specialized in the registration of geophysical information.
The largest movement occurred on June 23 in Arequipa in 2001 (8.4 degrees) and left a tragic toll of 104 dead, 2,713 injured and in terms of material losses, 22,399 homes destroyed.
Arequipa is precisely the Peruvian region in which the most earthquakes were recorded in the period 2001–2026. There, a 7.2-degree earthquake was recorded on June 28, 2024, which left more than 40 people injured and 3,000 buildings destroyed or affected.
In addition, May, July, August and November were the months of the year in which the most earthquakes were recorded in the aforementioned period, with three movements in each.
