LIMA, Peru (AFP) — A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook a rural area in northern Peru on Tuesday but no damage was immediately reported, the country’s Geophysical Institute said.
The quake struck at 1749 GMT in the sparsely populated Loreto region at a depth of 142 kilometers, the institute’s director Hernando Tavera said on the radio.
Officials said residents in towns in Peru and neighboring Ecuador evacuated buildings and took precautionary measures but emergency services reported no damage.
The quake was also felt in Colombia, the Red Cross and authorities there said.
Peru sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, an earthquake-prone zone spanning the Pacific.
