Lima (Peru), 20 August (LaPresse) – An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale has been recorded in Peru’s Ayacucho region, in the south of the country. This was reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which stated that the tremor was recorded at 1.00 pm local time and that the epicentre was located 38 kilometres north-west of the town of Upahuacho, in the province of Parinacochas, at a depth of 66.7 kilometres. The earthquake was felt in several other regions of southern Peru, including Ica and Arequipa. Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which forms part of the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an area characterised by intense seismic activity. In 2007, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in a province in the Ica region claimed the lives of nearly 600 people. The Peruvian Geophysical Institute provided a different estimate, reporting an earthquake of magnitude 7.2. The local press reports that no tsunami warning has been issued.
Peru: 6.7-magnitude earthquake in the south
Lima (Peru), 20 August (LaPresse) – An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale has been recorded in Peru’s Ayacucho region, in the south of the country. This was reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which stated that the tremor was recorded at 1.00 pm local time and that the epicentre was located 38 kilometres north-west of the town of Upahuacho, in the province of Parinacochas, at a depth of 66.7 kilometres. The earthquake was felt in several other regions of southern Peru, including Ica and Arequipa. Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which forms part of the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an area characterised by intense seismic activity. In 2007, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in a province in the Ica region claimed the lives of nearly 600 people. The Peruvian Geophysical Institute provided a different estimate, reporting an earthquake of magnitude 7.2. The local press reports that no tsunami warning has been issued.