Magnitude-8 earthquake strikes north-central Peru The quake, at a moderate depth of 114 kilometers struck at 2.41am Published: May 26, 2019 12:28 Last updated: May 26, 2019 13:50 AP Follow us Peru earthquake Image Credit: Social media Lima, Peru: Update: The US Geological Survey said the epicenter was at a depth of 110 kilometers (68 miles). The quake hit at 0741 GMT about 75 kilometers southeast of the town of Lagunas, along the Amazon basin near the border with Brazil. "Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized," USGS said in a preliminary assessment. Quakes of similar depth "typically cause less damage on the ground surface (but)... may be felt at great distance from their epicenters," it later added. The tremors were felt in northern and central Peru, including the capital Lima. Seismologists at the Geophysics Institute of Peru said the quake, which lasted just over two minutes, measured 7.5 magnitude, revising an earlier assessment of 7.2 magnitude. Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra urged citizens "to remain calm" in a message on his official Twitter account. "We're evaluating the affected areas," he said. Initial reports on Peruvian television said some damage to buildings occurred in the city of Yurimaguas, close to the epicenter, but no injuries had been recorded. "Based on all available data... there is no tsunami threat because the earthquake is located too deep inside the earth," the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. In February a quake measuring 7.5 with its epicenter in neighboring Ecuador rattled the coast and Amazon region of northern Peru. It left nine people injured and caused damage in Ecuador, but Peru was unscathed. Peru is located in a seismically active region, and on January 14 last year a quake measuring 7.3 killed two people and toppled buildings near the southern city of Arequipa. Initial reports The US Geological Survey says a large earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 has struck in north-central Peru. The quake, at a moderate depth of 114 kilometres struck at 2.41am, 80 kilometres southeast of the village of Lagunas and 98 kilometres east-northeast of the larger town of Yurimaguas. Earthquakes that are closer to the surface generally cause more destruction. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or of major damage. Earthquakes that are close to the surface generally cause more destruction. The Peruvian government's emergency department tweeted that it registered a magnitude of 7.2 for the quake. In the capital, Lima, people ran out of their homes in fear. Power cuts were reported in a number of Amazonian cities. Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which lies on the Pacific's so-called Ring of Fire.