13:56 | Ayacucho (Ayacucho region), Aug. 20.
A strong magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck at 1:00 p.m. today, Thursday, August 20. Its epicenter was located 35 kilometers north of the town of Coracora, Ayacucho region.
The National Seismological Center of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) reported that the quake had a depth of 108 kilometers.
Its epicenter was located 35 kilometers north of Coracora, in Parinacochas province, Ayacucho region.
The earthquake reached an intensity of III-IV in Coracora, according to the Modified Mercalli scale.
The seismic event caused alarm among residents in several cities in Ayacucho, Ica, Huancavelica, and Arequipa regions.
It was also reported to have been felt slightly in Lima.
Initial reports indicate landslides near Coracora and in other areas of Ayacucho.
No personal injuries or property damage have been reported so far.
Seismic activity
Peru is a country with high seismic activity, mainly due to the interaction between the Nasca and South American plates.
Therefore, the IGP recommends maintaining a culture of prevention and having a family emergency plan.
Magnitude and intensity are different parameters: magnitude measures the energy released by an earthquake, while intensity describes the effects and perception of the movement at a given location.
The report of Thursday, August 20, comes after other earthquakes recorded in the country in recent hours, including a 3.6-magnitude earthquake that occurred at 08:29:59 a.m. west of Ocoña, in Camana province, Arequipa region.
Marina rules out tsunami
Meanwhile, the Peruvian Navy's Hydrography and Navigation Directorate ruled out the possibility that the strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake recorded in Ayacucho this afternoon would generate a tsunami along the Peruvian coast.
After confirming that the seismic event recorded at 1:00 p.m., 35 kilometers north of Coracora, Ayacucho, reached a magnitude of 7.2, the Hydrography and Navigation Directorate reported that it conducted an analysis and assessment through the Directorate's National Tsunami Warning Center.
The Directorate emphasized that the event would not generate a tsunami along the Peruvian coast.
However, it added that the event would remain under constant monitoring.
Earthquake depth
It should be noted that the strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake recorded in Coracora, Ayacucho, was also felt in several regions due to its epicenter’s depth, IGP Chief Hernando Tavera explained.
In remarks to Canal N, the specialist indicated that "the radius of perception has been quite large" because the earthquake occurred at a depth of 108 kilometers.
Tavera detailed that the earthquake was also felt in other provinces of Ayacucho, as well as in the Ica, Abancay, and Lima regions.
Earthquakes reported so far in 2026
According to statistics from the IGP's National Seismological Center (Censis), a total of 568 seismic events have been reported from January 1 through today, August 20, including the earthquake that shook Ayacucho this afternoon.
A total of 54 seismic events have been recorded in August alone.
The magnitude of these events recorded in Peru ranged from 3.5 to 5.7, while intensity reached VII on the Modified Mercalli scale.
(END) MAO/MVB
Publicado: 20/8/2026