WASHINGTON : A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook an area near the northern coast of Peru early Sunday, the US government reported.

The epicentre of the earthquake, which occurred at 5:04 am (1004 GMT), was located in the Pacific Ocean 71 kilometres (44 miles) southwest of the Peruvian town of Piura, according to the US Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released. - AFP/ms