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A massive 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Peru in the early hours of Sunday, sending residents fleeing their homes, but no injuries were reported.
The earthquake, at an "intermediate depth" of about 110 km, was felt all over the country and even hundreds of kilometers from the capital, Lima, local authorities reported.
"Some losses and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized," said the US Geological Survey at a preliminary assessment.
Earthquakes of similar depth "usually cause less damage to the ground surface (but) … can be felt far away from their epicentres," he said.
Peru is sitting on the Pacific "ring of fire", where most of the world's seismic activity takes place.
The quake occurred about 75 km southeast of Lagunas and 180 km east of Moyobamba town, the USGS said.
According to local sources, power cuts have reportedly occurred in the cities of Iquitos and Tarapoto, Amazonian cities in the Loreto region.
In February, an earthquake of magnitude 7.5, with its epicenter in neighboring Ecuador, shook the coast and the Amazon region of northern Peru.
Nine people were injured and caused damage in Ecuador, but Peru remained unscathed.
Peru is located in an area with seismic activity and, on January 14, an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 made two deaths and overturned buildings near the city of Arequipa, in the south from the country.
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