At Least One Dead In 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake In Peru

click to expand

ACARI, Peru (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) -- A powerful earthquake struck off Peru's coast early Sunday.

The quake destroyed adobe structures and killing at least one person, according to officials.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the 4:18 a.m. temblor had a magnitude of 7.1, down from an earlier calculation of 7.3. The epicenter was 25 miles south-southwest of the small town of Acari in the Arequipa district. It was centered 22 miles below the surface.

Arequipa Gov. Yamila Osorio tweeted that at least one person was killed and that there were reports of power outages and collapsed adobe structures. She said more than 20 people were injured.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that "hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts" and that larger-than-normal waves could hit Peru and Chile.

But the center then said in a later statement that "there is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake" and that the center hadn't observed any tsunami waves.