Two magnitude-7.6 earthquakes strike eastern Peru

Two powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquakes struck near the Peru-Brazil border region within five minutes, foreign media reported today.

The first temblor occurred shortly before 6 p.m. local time Tuesday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was initially recorded as a 6.9 before being upgraded to 7.5 and eventually 7.6.

The quake occurred 107 miles west-northwest of Iberia, Peru, and 423 miles east-northeast of the capital of Lima. The second quake was centered 130 miles (210 km) south of Tarauaca, Brazil.

There were no threats of tsunamis because the earthquakes were too deep, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The depths were 373.2 miles (600.6 km) and 380.1 miles (611.7 km), respectively.

There was no immediate word of damage or injuries, but Reuters reported that the quake occurred in a sparsely populated jungle region and was unlikely to cause major damage.