Powerful Earthquake Shakes Peru's Southern Andes

A powerful earthquake shook Peru's southern Andes Mountains on Thursday, measured at magnitude 6.7 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and 7.2 by Peru's Geophysical Institute (IGP).

The USGS said the quake occurred at 1 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) with an epicenter 38 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of the town of Upahuacho, in the southern Ayacucho region, and a depth of 66.7 kilometers. The IGP had the depth at 108 kilometers.

The earthquake "was felt with moderate to strong intensity in several departments," the National Institute of Civil Defense wrote on social media.

Images broadcast by Peruvian media showed rocks and earth tumbling down hills around Coracora, the closest significant town to the epicenter with a population of about 10,000.

What damage has the Peru earthquake caused?

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties and the Peruvian Navy confirmed there was no threat of a tsunami.

"The population has responded, they evacuated and took shelter," Coracora mayor Yony Odon told local television.

Luis Vasquez, head of Civil Defense, told local radio station RPP that "no damage of any kind has been reported so far."

The jolt was felt across several regions of southern Peru, including Ica and Arequipa. Reporters for the AFP news agency said tremors were even felt as far away as the capital, Lima.

How common are earthquakes in Peru?

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru which lies on the southeastern edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area of frequent seismic activity.

In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in a province of the Ica region left nearly 600 people dead.