The tragic human aftermath of last Wednesday’s earthquake in Peru is still playing out as survivors continue to fight for food and clean water, but prudent insurers are also looking at the economic cost.

This is expected to exceed $US10 billion ($12.54 billion), according to catastrophe modeller Eqecat. It puts the total damage bill between $US10 billion ($12.54 billion) and $US20 billion ($25.08 billion).

Its first report on the disaster suggests commercial and industrial areas sustained about half of the economic impact, with typically uninsured residential structures bearing the remaining 50% of losses.

Eqecat has not tried to estimate the total insured cost of the event, but it says the take-up rate of insurance is relatively high in commercial areas hit by the earthquake. This is particularly so in the capital city Lima and the key port of Pisco.