LIMA: A pair of major 7.6-magnitude earthquakes jolted eastern Peru near its border with Brazil on Tuesday, and were felt across several South American nations, but authorities had no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The first quake, which struck at 5:45 pm (2245 GMT), was 601 kilometres deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

It was located about 169kms west-northwest of Iberia and 688 kilometers east-northeast of the capital Lima. Five minutes later, a second temblor of the same strength rocked the same area but with a different epicenter.

“According to the real-time map there were two magnitude 7.6 in different locations,” a USGS official explained. And there were three aftershocks, he added.

Buildings swayed in several Peruvian cities — Cuzco, Tacna, Pucallpa and Arequipa — as well as in parts of northern Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela, local media reported.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015