Pumpunya, Peru: Residents Dismantle Homes in Inay After Earthquake

In the Inay neighborhood of Pumpunya, Peru, families are manually tearing down their damaged adobe houses after a recent earthquake. Because narrow, foot‑only paths prevent heavy machinery from reaching many homes, residents such as Diego Torres Ureta balance on wooden beams to remove roof tiles and salvage materials for temporary shelters.

Neighbors like Germán and Olimpia Meza describe cleaning debris with wheelbarrows and building makeshift shelters with tents supplied by the Civil Defense. The lack of vehicular access, a long‑standing challenge in the area, has become a critical obstacle for emergency aid, forcing households to dismantle their own homes to recover usable components and secure safe, provisional living spaces.