A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck northern Peru on November 28, 2021, killing 12 and injuring 126 across the Amazonas and Loreto regions.
Key Facts
- Magnitude
- 7.5 Mw
- Max MMI intensity
- VII (Very Strong)
- Direct deaths
- 2 people
- Secondary deaths (bus crash)
- 10 people
- Injuries
- 126 people
- Affected departments
- Amazonas and Loreto, Peru
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Seismic activity along the fault systems beneath northern Peru, a region prone to earthquakes due to the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate, produced a major rupture between the Amazonas and Loreto departments at 5:52 a.m. local time on November 28, 2021.
A moment magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck northern Peru, registering a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VII (Very Strong) in Santa Maria de Nieva. Serious structural damage was reported across Peru, with some damage also observed in neighboring Ecuador.
Two people died directly from the earthquake—one from a heart attack and one struck by falling wood—while 126 others sustained injuries. The following day, ten more people died when a bus crashed on the earthquake-damaged Fernando Belaunde Terry Highway, bringing the total death toll to 12.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 12 (earthquake)