Peru earthquake: 4th century old church tower destroyed by tremor

A “major” earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 has struck northern Peru, with some damage to homes and a 16th-century church.

The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) confirmed that the tremor hit a very sparsely populated region of the Amazon rainforest, around 45 kilometres northwest of the city of Barranca.

In the Chachapoyas province, the local major confirmed only three minor injuries caused by the earthquake.

However, several houses and a church tower that was part of the 16th-century complex were damaged during the quake.

The church, considered to be the oldest Catholic temple in the Amazonas region, was reduced to ruins.