The north Pacific coast of Peru was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on Friday. Although the quake didn’t claim any lives, people were sent to flee their homes, a centuries-old church was damaged and at least one person injured.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake happened at 12:10 pm local time, with an epicentre about 8 kilometres east of the city of Sullana. It was also felt in southern Ecuador, reported the Associated Press.

Many citizens of Sullana had to leave their homes fearing the earthquake and its aftershock. A woman was injured after being trapped under a collapsed wall while a car was crushed by bricks.

Part of the cornice on the façade of Piura’s cathedral, which was erected in the 16th century, had fallen off, as seen on footage from local television stations. Two additional houses of worship and three fire stations were also destroyed by the earthquake in separate areas.

The video also showed products scattered on the floor of a supermarket in Piura, about 990 kilometres north of the capital, Lima.

President Pedro Castillo left a military parade to travel to Piura, according to a statement from the presidential office.

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru as the country is located in a seismic zone.  

According to the Country Studies website, there have been more than 70 significant earthquakes in Peru since 1568, or once every six years.

The collision of two tectonic plates along South America’s west coast is the main cause of this seismic activity. The thick Nazca Plate meets the continental South American Plate here in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Nazca Plate is subducting beneath the South American Plate, resulting in the Peru-Chile Trench, an oceanic feature.