Tsunami alert as huge 7.2-magnitude quake strikes off Peru amid warnings of 10ft waves

A tsunami alert has been issued in Peru after a huge 7.2-magnitude quake.

Some coastal areas have been warned to expect waves of up to 3m (9.8ft) high, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

The USGS raised an earlier magnitude rating soon after the tremor struck 8.8 kilometers (5.5 miles) from Atiquipa district.

There were no immediate damage reports from the authorities, but coastal areas have been warned to brace for large waves.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, which initially said there was no threat, later warned that waves of up to three metres were 'possible along some coasts'.

'Hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts,' it said, adding the waves could reach 'one to three metres above tide level'.

Peru, with some 33 million inhabitants, lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast area of intense seismic activity that runs along the west coast of the Americas.

As a result, the country is hit by hundreds of detectable quakes every year.