Peru earthquake damages buildings and causes power cuts

At least three people have been injured and buildings have been damaged after an earthquake struck Peru, local officials have said.

The earthquake, which occurred near the small settlement of Aniso in the southern Ayacucho region on Thursday, had a magnitude of 6.7, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Peru's defence minister Rafael Belaunde said 22 homes and six schools were damaged, local media report.

Earthquakes are common in Peru, which sits along the meeting point of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, and Thursday's was the latest strong seismic event to hit South America in recent months, following deadly quakes in Colombia and Venezuela.

Belaunde, who has been involved in co-ordinating the emergency response, said three people had been hurt but did not suffer serious injuries, according to Peruvian newspaper El Comercio.

The earthquake struck at around 13:00 local time (18:00 GMT) at a depth of 62 miles (100km), around 19 miles (31km) north-west of Aniso, in a relatively remote part of the Andes mountain range, data from the USGS showed.

Damage was reported at 10 healthcare facilities in the Ayacucho region and two were damaged in the neighbouring Cusco region, but services remained operational, Peru's National Institute of Civil Defence said.

Around 9,000 properties also lost power, it said, and nine educational facilities were damaged.