A strong earthquake jolted Ecuador on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

A boy remains inside a house damaged by a strong earthquake that rocked Ecuador and parts of Peru, in Manta, Ecuador. A strong earthquake rocked Ecuador and parts of Peru Thursday, but its epicenter was deep underground in a remote Amazonian region and only one injury and light damage was reported. [Xinhua/AFP Photo]

The epicenter of the magnitude-6.9 earthquake was located 170 km east of the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, according to the South American country's national geophysical institute.

The temblor was felt in most parts of the country as well as in northern Peru when it struck at 1154 GMT. Buildings in Quito briefly swayed, sending local residents rushing out in a panic.

No damage or casualties were reported within three hours of the quake, whose energy was strong enough to cause extensive damage. Yet the depth of its focus, which the institute said was around 190 km, significantly reduced its damage.

No tsunami warning was issued after the earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially put the temblor at magnitude 6.7, and then revised it to 7.2, before readjusting it to 6.9.

Ecuador was hit by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake in 1906, the strongest on record alongside a 1933 temblor in Japan.