Two earthquakes of 7.6-magnitude hit the nearby areas of Peru-Brazil border area in five minutes around 4:15 am Wednesday, followed by three aftershocks. The magnitude is damage is yet to be ascertained.
Local media reported buildings swayed in a number of Peruvian cities including Cuzco, Tacna, Pucallpa and Arequipa as well as South American nations of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela.
The first quake was 601 kilometers (373 miles) deep, according to the US Geological Survey, followed by one more five minutes later but with a different epicenter. However, there is likelihood of a tsunami.
Peru lies on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The last major earthquake in Peru happened on August 15, 2007 with a magnitude of 7.9, killing 595 people.