Peru Earthquake 2018: Massive Quake Rocks The Coast

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook the coast of Peru on Sunday at 4:18 a.m. local time. The epicenter was about 25 miles from Acari, a city with an estimated population of under 5,000 and with an elevation of 410 meters.

The earthquake initially prompted tsunami warnings for Peru and Chile, but they were later rescinded by the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Arequipa Gov. Yamila Orosio posted on Twitter that at least two people were killed and the BBC reported that there have been at least 65 injuries.

The earthquake had initially been categorized as a 7.3 earthquake by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Peru is in an area prone to earthquakes. The last time Peru was struck by a massive earthquake was in November 2015, when a 7.6 earthquake struck northwest of Iberia. There were no casualties.

In August 2016, a 5.4 earthquake centered in southern Peru and killed nine people and left 40 injured.

The most devasting earthquake in recent years was an 8.0 earthquake that struck near the capital of Lima in 2007. There were 519 casualties.

Peru is coming off severe flooding in March that killed dozens and displaced tens of thousands due to El Nino conditions.