Three people, including a pregnant woman, were seriously injured on Friday by collapsing walls, the hospital in the town of Sullana reported, and about 10 others had broken bones.

The magnitude 6.1 quake was centred 12 kilometres west of Sullana in the Piura region at a depth of 36 kilometres, the country's Seismological Centre said.

The civil defence agency said 187 homes were damaged and six were made uninhabitable.

Tremors were felt throughout much of the region as well as in neighbouring Ecuador.

The quake damaged the facade of the cathedral in the provincial capital Piura, according to a report by broadcaster RPP.

People fled buildings and sought safety outdoors.

Landslides were reported in the district of Colan on the Pacific coast.

President Pedro Castillo left a military parade in Lima marking the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and travelled to Piura, his office said.

Peru's Pacific coast is repeatedly hit by severe earthquakes and lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area marked by seismic upheaval with some 128 active volcanoes.

Australian Associated Press