Earthquake of 6 magnitude strikes central Peru, no damage reported

LIMA, May 17 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6 struck central Peru on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of damage in the nearest town, Puquio, in the Andean region of Ayacucho, due to its depth, the state-run Geophysical Institute of Peru said.

"The earthquake was felt as far as the central coast (of Peru), but it was mild. There may have been some landslides along some roads, but no damage has been reported in Puquio," the institute's head, Hernando Tavera, told local radio station RPP.

"Due to the depth, the earthquake has not been felt strongly on the surface," he said.

The epicenter of the quake was 23 km (14 miles) south of Puquio, in the province of Lucanas, at a depth of 97 km (60 miles), according to the institute's website.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) had said the quake was magnitude 6.1 and was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles).