A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shakes Peru

The Geophysical Institute of Peru reported that an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 was registered this Thursday on the southern Peruvian  coast, in the area of Arequipa. So far authorities report no casualti or damage.

"Early this morning at 00:36 a.m., an earthquake occurred with an epicenter 54 km southwest of the town of Yauca, Caraveli in Arequipa, with a magnitude of 7.2, at a depth of 42 km, reports the Ministry of Environment (Minam), through the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP)," the institute wrote in its latest report.

"The movement was perceived in the regions of Arequipa, Ayacucho, Moquegua, Ica and Lima."

According to the institute, the seismic movement occurred at a depth of 25 km around 00H36 local time (05H36 GMT) a little more than 8 km off the coast of Caravelí, 500 km south of Lima.

Meanwhile, as AFP was able to learn, the Navy's Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation issued a tsunami warning. The tremor was felt in Lima and much of Peru's southern and central coast,

41 km from the epicenter is the town of Chala, of about 10,000 inhabitants.