Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes near Lima, Peru

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake (downgraded from the initial report) occurred just off the coast of Peru at 7:51 this morning less than 10 miles from the capital of Lima. The temblor struck suddenly, shaking buildings for a good ten seconds before subsiding.

There are no reports of fatalities or injury. Lima newspaper, El Comercio, reports that five homes collapsed due to the earthquake. Although phone lines were jammed following the the temblor, officials with Telefónica, the primary phone network in the capital, said there were no major disruptions in service.

Several news agencies reported rockslides onto roadways from the cliffs along the coast , particularly in the Costa Verde area. These seemed to be relatively minor and within 90 minutes of the quake these roadways were completely cleared and traffic was moving normally.

The quake was preceded hours earlier by another temblor near the capital city although significantly less intense. That magnitude 4.4 quake struck at 1:41 a.m. local time about 45 miles north of Lima. Peru's civil defense said there were no reports of injury or major property damage during that event.

Officials with the Instituto Geofísico del Perú said that there is a fifty percent chance of another earthquake striking near Lima in the near future.

Peru is still recovering from the damage inflicted by a magnitude 8.0 quake that struck in August of last year near the town of Pisco on the southern coast. Approximately 540 people died, more than 1,000 were injured and more than 176,000 people left homeless after the disaster.

Last updated: 12:43 p.m.