A major 6.9-magnitude earthquake has rocked southern Peru but there are no immediate reports of casualties or considerable damage.
The quake hit at 2321 GMT (0921 on Monday AEST) 42km east-northeast of the town of Tambo at a depth of 101km, according to the US Geological Survey.
Centred 467km southeast of the capital Lima, the quake sent panicked people into the streets of the city of Ayacucho - home to about 150,000. It was first reported by USGS as a 7.0-magnitude event.
In the capital, however, the quake was felt as a 4.4-magnitude occurrence - noticed by residents of high rises but not by those on the streets of the sprawling city of eight million.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cautioned that quakes of this size "sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100km of the earthquake epicentre".
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"Authorities in the region of the epicentre should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action," it said.
