7.1-magnitude quake hits eastern Peru, no immediate casualties

LIMA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake initially measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Peru's border with Brazil and Bolivia on Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

According to Peru's National Institute of Civil Defense, there were no reports of casualties or damage so far in the sparsely populated region.

The quake occurred at around 4:00 local time (0900 GMT) at a depth of nearly 610 km. The epicenter was about 140 km northwest of the town of Iberia, the USGS said.

Peru is prone to quakes as it lies in the Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific Ocean basin where quakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently.