At least eight people were killed by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that hit rural southern Peru over the weekend, emergency authorities said on Sunday as the search for victims continued.

The quake late Saturday night in Paruro province, in the Andean region of Cusco, destroyed 15 adobe-style houses and left 75 people homeless, national emergency operations spokesman Carlos Castro told reporters.

"Eight people are dead," Castro said. "We are still going through the wreckage. We hope not to find any more bodies."

The quake occurred in a remote area and it took some time for emergency workers to arrive.

No damage was reported to infrastructure related to Peru's key mining sector.