Overview
- The quake struck on Thursday, August 20, 2026 at about 1:00 p.m., and the Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP) reported a magnitude of 7.2 with an epicenter 35 km north of Coracora and a focal depth of 108 km.
- U.S. and international agencies gave different early readings, with the USGS issuing an initial magnitude near 6.7 and a shallower depth, reflecting normal early discrepancies that agencies will reconcile as more data are processed.
- The shock was felt across southern and central Peru, including Lima, Ica, Arequipa and Cusco, triggering mass evacuations and prolonged shaking in tall buildings.
- Local and regional authorities report localized damage to adobe and other vulnerable houses, rockfalls and interruptions to services, with preliminary counts listing dozens of affected homes and a small number of injured people being treated.
- Emergency teams remain mobilized, the Navy ruled out a tsunami risk for the coast, officials warned of likely aftershocks, and the event underlines Peru's exposure on the Pacific Ring of Fire and the vulnerability of traditional construction to even deeper quakes.