6.7 magnitude earthquake hits Peru’s southern Andes Mountains, injures 2

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

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake occurred at 1 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT) and was centered 38 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of the city of Upahuacho, in the Parinacochas province of the Ayacucho region. It had a depth of 66 kilometers (41 miles).

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 Vásquez, head of Civil Defense, 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 centers and a school across several districts in Ayacucho and Cusco, including the towns of Puquio, Pullo, Coracora, Upahuacho, San Pedro and Pichari.

Vásquez said rockfalls were reported on hillsides near Coracora. The Peruvian Navy ruled out a tsunami threat.

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.