Strong quake rattles Peru (Updated)

Video of reactions to today's earthquake in Peru from RPP Noticias. (Hat tip: La Republica.)

An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit Peru near the border with Brazil according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The tremor occurred at 12:46 pm local time near the city of Pucallpa but was strong enough to be felt throughout the country. A report from the AP observed that "an unidentified local woman interviewed by Peru's Canal N television station said the earth shook 'like a hammock.'" A seismologist interviewed on another TV station noted that the tremor was of a magnitude of "two to three" by the time it hit Lima, which is located about 370 miles away from the epicenter. Several small aftershocks have also been reported in Trujillo.

(Update: The earthquake was also felt in parts of neighboring Ecuador including the coastal city of Guayaquil and in tall buildings in Quito).

Thus far there are no reports of major damages or injuries though some readers on Brazil's Folha.com admitted that they felt panicked and alarmed.

This afternoon's earthquake happened four years after approximately 600 people were killed by a magnitude 6.8 tremor in the Peruvian province of Ica.

Peru is one of several Latin American countries located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of increased seismic activity including volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Online Sources - Herald Sun, The Latin Americanist, Folha.com, CSMonitor.com, La Republica
Video Sources - YouTube