The epicenter is located near the town of Azangaro in southeastern Peru.
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It has not caused any damage or casualties at this stage, according to authorities. An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 shook southern Peru on Thursday May 26, announced the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS). The tremor was recorded at 7:02 a.m. local time, with an epicenter near the town of Azangaro, near Lake Titicaca, and at a depth of about 200 kilometers, according to the institute.
The Peruvian National Seismic Center has for its part evaluated the magnitude at 6.9, with an epicenter at a depth of around 240 km. Due to the great depth of the earthquake in the high Peruvian Andes, the shock wave was more important and affected the regions of Tacna, Moquegua, Cusco and Arequipa, according to the Peruvian authorities.
“At this time, due to the level of intensity of the shaking on the surface, it should not cause damage, but scare” population, Hernando Tavera, director of the Peruvian Geophysical Institute, told RPP radio. “When the earthquake is deeper, the shaking of the ground is less. The radius of perception is greater than the shaking. The entire southern region of Peru was affected by the earthquake”he explained.
Peru is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast zone of seismic activity that stretches along the western coast of the American continent. The country is shaken by at least 400 noticeable earthquakes each year.