Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Peru's southern Andes, injures two

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook Peru's southern Andes mountains on Thursday, injuring at least two people and damaging homes, health centres and schools, authorities said.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck at 1 pm local time (1800 GMT) and was centred 38 kilometres (24 miles) northwest of the city of Upahuacho, in the Parinacochas province of the Ayacucho region. It had a depth of 66.7 kilometres.

The earthquake was felt in several regions of southern Peru, including Ica and Arequipa.

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area of intense seismic activity. In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in the Ica region left nearly 600 people dead.