A 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled central Peru early on Thursday, US seismologists said, waking people up and sending them rushing into the street, according to early reports.

The quake occurred at 4.38 am (0938 GMT), the US Geological Survey said, noting that it struck at a depth of 143 kilometers (89 miles), at a point 34 kilometers east of the Amazon city of Pucallpa.

The quake was felt as far away as the city of Trujillo on the northwest coast, 545 miles (877 kilometers) from the capital Lima, though with less intensity, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru -- there have been more than 100 in 2012 -- which is on what geologists call the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area with intense seismic activity that produces around 85 percent of the world's quakes.

As a result, the National Civil Defense Institute has scheduled on August 15 a nationwide safety drill to see how authorities would respond if the country were struck by a massive magnitude-eight earthquake and resulting tsunami.