Peru earthquake injures 2, damages buildings

Peru earthquake injures 2, damages buildings

Quake was felt in several regions of southern Peru

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook Peru's southern Andes Mountains on Thursday, injuring at least two people and damaging homes, health centres and schools, authorities said.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake occurred at 1 p.m. local time and was centred 38 kilometres northwest of the city of Upahuacho, in the Parinacochas province of the Ayacucho region. It had a depth of 66 kilometres.

The earthquake was felt in several regions of southern Peru, including Ica, Arequipa, Huancavelica, Apurimac and Cusco, as well as in the capital, Lima.

Luis Vasquez, head of Civil Defence, told reporters that two people were injured while evacuating their homes during the earthquake in Coracora, the capital of Parinacochas province.

Authorities also reported damage to 22 homes, six health centres and a school across several districts in Ayacucho and Cusco, including the towns of Puquio, Pullo, Coracora, Upahuacho, San Pedro and Pichari.

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which is part 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.