A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the Chongos Bajo district in Peru's central Andes on Saturday night, July 18, 2026, and the death toll has since risen to six, officials said Monday, with more than 30 people injured.

The epicenter was about 300 kilometers east of Lima at a depth of 24 kilometers, and a magnitude 3.7 aftershock followed 17 minutes later at a depth of 18 kilometers. Peru's National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) initially reported five dead and 21 injuries validated by the Health Ministry, but Peruvian media raised the toll to six dead by Monday, July 20, 2026.

Death toll climbs, hundreds displaced

As of July 20, more than 30 people were injured, six of them still hospitalized and 26 discharged. Among the dead were an 18-year-old and four elderly residents aged 68 to 73.

The damage was far worse than typical for a quake of this magnitude, because the shallow epicenter combined with homes built mostly from adobe (mud brick) or quincha, a mix of wood, bamboo and mud. Forty-eight homes were destroyed and more than 250 others damaged, leaving about 300 people homeless. Two hospitals, the Hospital Nacional del Centro Daniel Alcides Carrión in Huancayo and the Hospital Regional Materno Infantil El Carmen, were also affected, along with the power grid, the Santiago de León monastery and the Cani Cruz de Chongos Alto cross, a historic monument more than 400 years old with National Cultural Heritage status.

Indeci director Luis Vásquez gave the initial figures as the quake unfolded: "What we have so far is five dead and 21 injuries that have been validated."

Why was the damage in Chongos Bajo so severe?

The cause was the reactivation of the Altos del Mantaro fault, an active fault near the city of Chupaca that releases tectonic energy in intense surface shaking despite its moderate magnitude. Hernando Tavera, head of Peru's Geophysical Institute (IGP), explained: "Any seismic event that occurs near this fault will produce a high level of ground shaking." The IGP has recorded 12 minor aftershocks since the main quake.

Peru experiences at least 400 earthquakes a year because it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the region's active seismic arc. The twin earthquakes that killed more than 1,719 people in Venezuela this year were driven by a different fault system, at the boundary of the Caribbean and South American plates, and are not directly linked to the Pacific Ring of Fire that affects Peru. About three-quarters of Peru's earthquakes are too weak to feel, but the combination of shallow depth and adobe homes in Junín made this one fatal.

First disaster for a government in transition

The earthquake is the first major humanitarian crisis for the interim government of President José María Balcázar, who has led Peru since Congress impeached José Jerí in February 2026. In eight days, on July 28, 2026, Keiko Fujimori is due to be sworn in as president after winning the runoff election, a result Peru's National Elections Jury (Jurado Nacional de Elecciones) proclaimed on July 3.

Balcázar said the government moved fast to deliver aid: "Make sure we are acting quickly. Aid is already in the hands of Junín authorities and the government." Prime Minister Luis Arroyo and Defense Minister Amadeo Flores visited the affected areas in person. Fujimori, who does not yet hold executive power, also spoke publicly: "I deeply regret the impact of the earthquake in Junín. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of those who died and my solidarity with those affected."

What's still being monitored

The death toll could keep changing, given that it rose from five to six in less than 48 hours. The government has not issued a formal state of emergency for the affected districts in Chupaca, and Balcázar said his visit to the site will follow once he receives a full report from local authorities. Restoring power and reopening the two damaged hospitals is still underway, while the IGP continues to watch the Altos del Mantaro fault for further aftershocks.