The 2001 southern Peru earthquake occurred at 20:33:15 UTC (15:33:15 local time) on June 23 with a moment magnitude of 8.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme).

[9] It had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme), based on damage to a road 25 km (16 mi) from the epicenter.

[14][5] The resulting tsunami destroyed over 2,000 buildings,[4] killed 26 people and left 64 others missing Camaná-Chala area.

Another factor that greatly reduced the loss of life was the fact that a majority of the population is knowledgeable about earthquakes and their resulting tsunamis.

Many of the residents who felt the earthquake and noticed the receding water evacuated to higher ground to avoid the tsunami.

[15] The Government of Peru and the National Institute of Civil Defence (INDECI) were at the center of relief efforts after the earthquake and tsunami.

Most of the funds were gotten from loans and were split between the different ministries of Government to provide aid and relief efforts.

These governments include but are not limited to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay, Venezuela, Belgium, France, USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the European Union Humanitarian Aid Office and the United Kingdom.