A powerful earthquake measuring 7.2 struck southern Peru today, according to the Peruvian Geophysical Institute (Instituto Geofísico del Perú / IGP).

The epicenter was located 35 kilometers north of the city of Coracora in the province of Parinacochas, and the focal depth was estimated at 108 kilometers.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7.

So far, there have been no reports of casualties.

Felt in Lima and Cusco

The tremor was strongly felt in the capital, Lima. The head of the IGP, Hernando Tavera, told Canal N that, because of the depth, the sensation “was very strong.”

He explained that the earthquake was felt in the regions of Arequipa, Ica, and Abancay. “Based on the information we have gathered, residents in these areas have taken to the streets quite frightened. We have not received any reports of injuries or collapsed buildings. Let us hope it continues this way,” he said.

In Cusco, which is located approximately 575 kilometers from the epicenter, security cameras at a school captured the moment when students ran out of their classrooms in order to find a safe place to take shelter.

The latest powerful blow from the Earthquake God in Latin America is increasing concerns among scientists and the public, as it occurred just days after the powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia and less than two months after the double earthquake recorded in Venezuela.

The director general of Colombia’s Geological Service, Julio Fierro Morales, had explained that the seismic activity recorded in the region is caused by the natural tectonic dynamics of western Colombia and is connected, among other things, to the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate.

The Nazca Plate forms the southeastern section of the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” It moves beneath the lighter South American Plate, and this subduction, at a rate of approximately 55 to 60 millimeters per year, creates deep ocean trenches, powerful earthquakes, and the volcanic mountain range of the Andes.

Because of its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” Peru experiences continuous tectonic activity resulting from friction between the plates and local faults.