Strong 7.0-magnitude quake shakes Peruvian Amazon

August 25, 2011

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By Caroline Stauffer and Marco Aquino | Reuters – 58 mins ago.

LIMA (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck a remote Amazon region of Peru on

Wednesday, shaking buildings far away in the capital and in neighboring Brazil,

although no injuries or damage were reported.

The 7.0-magnitude quake's epicenter was near the town of Pucallpa, which lies

some 370 miles from Lima in a sparsely populated central-eastern region close to

the Brazilian border, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

" There have been no damages reported, either to structures or to people, " said

Urrelo, head of the government's civil defense agency in the Ucayali

region, where Pucallpa is located.

Energy companies in the area, which produces some oil and natural gas, said

their facilities were operating normally.

It was the most powerful earthquake to hit the Andean country since a

7.9-magnitude temblor killed more than 500 people and destroyed thousands of

houses in 2007.

One seismologist said the depth of Wednesday's quake -- 90 miles -- meant damage

was unlikely.

Across the nearby border in the Brazilian city of Cruzeiro do Sul, journalist

Liano was in a supermarket at the time of the quake and said some goods

fell off the shelves. " It was that sensation when you're on a boat and it

rocks, " he told Reuters.

In Peru's coastal capital of Lima, office buildings shook and mobile phone

services were interrupted.

Local radio bulletins said the quake caused alarm across central Peru, sending

panicked students and workers rushing out of classrooms and offices.

Earthquake-prone Peru is a leading metals exporter, but the region hit on

Wednesday is not a mining area.

Leading Peruvian miner Southern Copper, which is controlled by Grupo Mexico,

said its operations in southern parts of the country were not affected.

Energy companies are more active in the region where the quake hit. Pucallpa is

the terminus for an oil pipeline from the Ganso Azul fields, but operators said

it was transporting fuel normally.

A source at Maple Energy Public Ltd Co said its oil refinery in the town was

also functioning properly, and U.S.-based Duke Energy said its nearby gas plant

was operating normally.

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