Magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits near coast of Peru, triggering tsunami threat

The quake struck 42 kilometers (26 miles) south-southwest of Acari at 9:18am GMT on Sunday, the USGS reported. The epicenter of the quake was about 12km deep. It could have caused “hazardous tsunami waves” along the coast of Peru within 300km of the epicenter, the US National Weather Service said.

There are up to 10 million people in the area where the quake was felt, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

The organization notes that the area has a low population density, but villages “may have suffered direct damage, and triggered landslides are always a risk.” It puts the strength of the earthquake at 7.2 magnitude and says it hit at a depth of 30km.