43 injured as magnitude-6.1 earthquake hits northern Peru

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia

At least 43 people were injured when a magnitude-6.1 earthquake hit northern Peru on Friday, according to authorities.

Authorities did not report any tsunami warnings following the quake, but of the injured, three had serious injuries, according to initial reports.

The National Seismological Center of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) said the epicenter, which occurred at a depth of 36 kilometers (22 miles), was 12 kilometers (7 miles) west of the city of Sullana in the north.

Peru, one of the countries with the highest seismic activity in the world, is located in the Pacific seismic belt, also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

A magnitude-7.9 quake killed 595 people in Peru on Aug. 15, 2007.