Huge Cracks Split the Ground in Peru

State of Emergency Declared in Peru after Huge Cracks in Ground Threaten Village

Deep cracks caused by heavy rains threaten to swallow village, terrify residents: Report

Peru has declared a state of emergency in part of the country after torrential rains caused deep cracks to appear in a village, terrifying residents, AFP reported.

The gaping crevasses have worsened over several weeks in the northern Ancash region, making some houses uninhabitable and prompting the government to declare a state of emergency.

The cracks looked similar to faults caused by earthquakes, but experts said heavy rains in March and April caused soil shifts and the expansion and contraction of earth, causing the ground to split.

“The earth does not shake, we saw a crack in the morning and in the afternoon it grew,” a resident in Socosbamba told the local TV station.

The initial state of emergency will last for 60 days, allowing the authorities to try and deal with the crisis, said the report.

Significant Aftershock Strikes Nepal – UPDATE # 2

UPDATE and Correction

M5.7 aftershock occurs 76km ESE of Kathmandu, Nepal

Centered at 27.546°N, 86.075°E the aftershock occurred at a depth of about 10km, reported USGS/EHP.

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP

Nepal Earthquakes Casualty Toll – Latest Update

Death toll from Nepal’s May 12 earthquake has risen to 136, bringing the total number of fatalities from the seismicity in the country since April 25 to 8,485 and the number of injured to 101,182, said Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs in its May 16 update.

Nepal Earthquakes: List of events since April 25, 2015

1. M5.7, 24km N of Ramechhap, Nepal 2015-05-16 11:34:10 UTC depth=10.0 km
2. M6.3, 33km NNE of Ramechhap, Nepal 2015-05-12 07:36:53 UTC depth=15.0 km
3. M7.3, 18km SE of Kodari, Nepal 2015-05-12 07:05:19 UTC depth=15.0 km
4. M6.7, 19km SSE of Kodari, Nepal 2015-04-26 07:09:10 UTC depth=17.3 km
5. M6.6, 49km E of Lamjung, Nepal 2015-04-25 06:45:21 UTC depth=14.6 km
6. M6.1, 1km E of Banepa, Nepal 2015-04-25 06:15:22 UTC depth=10.0 km
7. M7.8, 34km ESE of Lamjung, Nepal 2015-04-25 06:11:26 UTC depth=15.0 km

Related Links

• Earthquake Forecast for Nepal Region May 13, 2015
• M7.3 Earthquake Strikes Nepal May 12, 2015