A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the southern coast of Peru early on June 28. Authorities say there are no immediate reports of casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred at 12:36 a.m. (0536 GMT). The epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean, some 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of the district of Atiquipa, in the province of Caravelí. That is some 380 miles south of the capital, Lima, near the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The depth was 17 miles (28 kilometers).

The earthquake was felt in the nearby regions of Ayacucho, Ica, and the capital, local media reported. Eder Allca, the mayor of the district of Sancos, in the Ayacucho region, told the local radio station RPP that a road in his district suffered rock slides that left several localities cut off.

The Hydrography and Navigation Directorate of the Peruvian Navy reported that the seismic event generated a tsunami alert along the Peruvian coast. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said any threat of a tsunami had already passed.

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, as the country is located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

Lima:

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of central Peru on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said, but a tsunami threat from the tremor has passed.

The USGS said the tremor hit 8.8 kilometers (5.5 miles) from Atiquipa district, raising an initial magnitude rating soon after the quake was reported.

The USGS said that strong shaking from the quake would have been felt in areas near the epicenter.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had earlier said “hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts” but later said the threat had passed.

“There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake,” it said.

Peru, with some 33 million inhabitants, lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast area of intense seismic activity that runs along the west coast of the Americas.

Peru is hit by hundreds of detectable quakes every year.

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