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Two 7.6-magnitude earthquakes strike Peru, neighbors

File photo shows rescuers carrying the body of a victim after an earthquake in Paruro Province, Peru. (Photo by Xinhua)

A pair of massive earthquakes measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale has jolted eastern Peru near its border with Brazil, and has been felt across several neighbors of the South American country.

The first quake, which occurred at 5:45 p.m. local time (2245 GMT) on Tuesday, occurred at a depth of 601 kilometers (373 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Its epicenter was some 169 kilometers (105 miles) west-northwest of the Peruvian town of Iberia and 688 kilometers (427 miles) east-northeast of the country’s capital, Lima.

Five minutes later, a second earthquake of the same strength struck the same region but with a different epicenter.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quakes.

“So far, there have been no reports of damages but we are following this closely,” civil defense chief, Alfredo Murgueytio, told Peru’s Canal N news network.

Buildings trembled in a number of Peruvian cities, including Cuzco, Tacna, Pucallpa and Arequipa, as well as in parts of Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela, local media said.

“It’s such a deep movement that it moves out further, and is felt over a wider area,” a weather expert told Canal N.

Peru’s last major earthquake, a 7.9, claimed the lives of nearly 600 people and left many others injured or homeless on August 15, 2007.


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