LIMA, Peru — A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck southern Peru on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey, with no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The USGS said the earthquake occurred about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Upahuacho at a depth of 66 kilometers, nearly 800 kilometers from the capital Lima.
Peru’s Geophysical Institute recorded the quake at magnitude 7.2 and placed its depth at 108 kilometers.
The tremor caused rocks and soil to slide down hills around Coracora in the Ayacucho region, the closest town to the epicenter, according to images broadcast on Peruvian media.
Coracora Mayor Yony Odon said residents evacuated their homes and sought shelter after the earthquake.
“The population has responded, they evacuated and took shelter,” Odon told state television by phone, adding that he hoped the quake had not caused significant damage.
Peru’s National Institute of Civil Defense said the earthquake produced moderate to strong shaking in several departments.
Residents also felt the tremor in Cusco, Arequipa and Lima, although the shaking was weaker in the capital, according to AFP journalists.
The earthquake followed major seismic events in the region since June, including two earthquakes in Venezuela on June 24 and a powerful earthquake in Colombia the following week.