Peru's southern region of Arequipa hit by 5.2-magnitude earthquake

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook the region of Arequipa, 1,020km south of Lima, the capital of Peru, on Friday morning.

The Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) instated the tremor had hit at 4.49am in the Pacific, 35km west of the port city of Mollendo and at a depth of 54km.

An initial report by the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) reported that no victims or damage had been reported while the government also ruled out any risk of a tsunami.

The quake had the same strength as the one which hit on Aug. 14, shaking the provincial capital of Arequipa, Caylloma. That one left at least nine people dead, dozens injured and hundreds of houses uninhabitable.

In June 2001, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the region of Arequipa, killing at least 102 people and causing economic losses worth 250 million U.S. dollars.

Peru is located on the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire, along which around 85 percent of all the world's seismic activity takes place.

Source : XINHUA