Magnitude 6.3 quake hits southern Peru -USGS

(Reuters) - A powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southern Peru on Thursday close to Lake Titicaca, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The tremor struck at 5:40 p.m. EST (2240 GMT), some 48 miles (77 km) northwest of the town of Juliaca close to Lake Titicaca, which lies in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. Peru's national earthquake institute measured the quake as 5.5 and there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake was very shallow, only 2.2 miles (3.5 km) below the Earth's surface, which would have amplified its effect, according to the USGS. (Reporting by Sandra Maler in Washington, Ursula Scollo in Lima and Caroline Stauffer in Buenos Aires; Editing by Diane Craft and James Dalgleish)