Peru: Strong earthquake shakes southern Andes

08/20/2026August 20, 2026

The quake has a magnitude of 6.7 according to the US Geological Survey, while Peru's Geophysics Institute puts the figure at 7.2. There are no immediate reports of casualties.

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A powerful earthquake shook Peru's southern Andes Mountains on Thursday, measured at magnitude 6.7 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and 7.2 by Peru's Geophysics Institute.

The USGS said the quake occurred at 1 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT) with an epicenter 38 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of the town of Upahuacho, in the southern Ayacucho region, and a depth of 66.7 kilometers.

The earthquake "was felt with moderate to strong intensity in several departments," the National Institute of Civil Defense wrote on social media.

Images broadcast by Peruvian media showed rocks and earth tumbling down hills around Coracora, the closest significant town to the epicenter with a population of about 10,000. 

Peru earthquake: has there been damage?

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties and the Peruvian Navy confirmed there was no threat of a tsunami.

"The population has responded, they evacuated and took shelter," Coracora mayor Yony Odon told local television.

Luis Vasquez, head of Civil Defense, told local radio station RPP that "no damage of any kind has been reported so far." 

The jolt was felt across several regions of southern Peru, including Ica and Arequipa. Reporters for the AFP news agency said tremors were even felt as far away as the capital, Lima.

Peru: are earthquakes common?

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru which lies on the southeastern edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area of frequent seismic activity.

In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in a province of the Ica region left nearly 600 people dead.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated...

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