6.9 Earthquake Today in Peru: 2011 Quake Hits Near 2007 Disaster; no Tsunami Warning
A major earthquake measuring 6.9 magnitude on the Richter scale hit the southwestern part of Peru along the coast Friday at 6:54 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicenter was located at 14.457 degrees south and 75.990 degrees west, 31 miles away from the city of Ica, and 178 miles away from Lima, the country's capital. The epicenter was located 21.7 miles under the Earth's surface.
No tsunami warning has been issued, and no major injuries or damages have been reported as of yet.
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The previous earthquake struck the country on Aug. 24, 2011. The 7.0 magnitude quake hit the Amazon region, making buildings in the capital and in neighboring Brazil shake, according to Reuters. At the time, no injuries or major damage was reported, but mobile phone services were interrupted in Lima.
The August earthquake has been the most powerful one to hit the country since a 7.9 magnitude tremor killed over 500 people and destroyed thousands of houses in 2007. At the time, bodies were reportedly scattered on the streets of the town of Pisco, lying close to the epicenter. At least 200 people were also buried under the rubble of a church that collapsed during a service. On Aug. 16, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI offered prayers for the victims.
Peru is vulnerable to potentially devastating earthquakes. South America's west coast is a segment of the circum-Pacific seismic belt, where more than two-thirds of the world's large-magnitude earthquakes occur, according to the USGS.
The most deadly earthquake in Peru's history occurred on May 31, 1970. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks resulted in the greatest death toll resulting from landslides and flooding due to burst dams. An estimated 50,000 people perished at the time. The country also experienced unprecedented damage to property.
Before 1970, in an earthquake that struck Lima in Oct. 1746, at least 5,000 persons were killed, many of them when a tsunami swept the coast.
On Nov. 10, 1946, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake, centered in the region of the May 1970 shock, generated landslides that swept away the town of Quiches (northeast of Chimbote).
