By Marco Aquino
LIMA, Aug 20 (Reuters) – An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 hit central Peru on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, although authorities reported no immediate casualties or damage.
The quake struck at a depth of 99 kilometers (61.52 mile), according to USGS, with the epicenter 31 kilometers (19.26 mile) northwest of Aniso in the Andes Mountains.
The head of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP), Hernando Tavera, said the depth of the quake prevented major damage.
“The population went out to the streets out of concern, but there is no impact,” he told local radio station RPP.
The IGP initially said the magnitude of the quake was 7.2.
The South American country, the world’s second-largest copper producer, is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where approximately 85% of the world’s seismic activity is recorded.
(Reporting by Sumedha Mukherjee in Bengaluru and Marco Aquino in Lima, Writing by Raul Cortes, Editing by Daina Beth Solomon)
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