5.9 earthquake hits southern Peru: US agency

Washington: A moderate earthquake measuring 5.9 hit southern Peru early Monday, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre of the tremor, which occurred at 2:15 am (0715 GMT), was located in the mountains 123 kilometres (77 miles) northwest of Juliaca, Peru, and 168 kilometers (104 miles) southeast of the historic center of Cuzco, the US government agency said.

Cuzco is located near the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, the main tourist attraction in the country.

There was no immediate report of casualties or damage.

The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.