Magnitude 7.0 Quake Hits Southern Peru

Geological Survey reported a major 7.1-magnitude earthquake near the town of Azangaro, Peru at approximately 3:50 a.m local time. The tremor affected several countries, including Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. 

The quake's epicenter was 258 kilometers deep, 67 kilometers north-northwest of Juliaca.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, no tsunami warning has been issued despite initial concerns. There have also been no reports of casualties or damage.

"Although it has been of a considerable magnitude, the depth has meant that in the epicenter area it has not felt so much, its repercussion has been in Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and in regions (Peru) such as Puno, Arequipa, Cusco, Moquegua, Apurimac," said the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center, Ricardo Seijas, to the local radio station RPP.

An official of the Puno Civil Defense Institute added that infrastructure damage has not been reported so far as means of communication or victims in the area.

In the Chilean city of Arica, bordering Peru, there was a preventive evacuation and any tsunami alarm was canceled. Peru is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where approximately 85 percent of the global seismic activity is recorded.