At least 123 people were injured in an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter on Monday which shook the southern Peruvian department of Ica, the National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci) said.

Most of the injured suffered only slight bruises and were soon discharged from local hospitals, Indeci said, adding that some 50 homes were damaged in the quake.

Electricity, energy and communication services disrupted in the quake have been totally restored, the authorities said.

A magnitude 4.2 aftershock was later reported in Ica at 0920 local time (1420 GMT).

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake was so far the strongest in the South American country in 2012, according to the Geophysics Institute of Peru (IGP).

The quake-prone Peruvian coast is located in the front of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where 85 percent of the world seismic activity occurs.

Source: Xinhua