At least 13 people were killed, several injured and buildings damaged in a magnitude-6.5 earthquake that shook southern Ecuador and reached neighboring Peru, according to official figures.
The quake, recorded at 12:12 local time (17:12 GMT), had its epicenter in the Ecuadorian city of Barao, about 140 km from the port of Guayaquil, and was 44 km deep, officials reported.
Ecuador’s president’s office said on Twitter that 12 people had died, 11 in El Oro and one in Azuay.
According to official reports, a 4-year-old girl died after being struck in the head by a brick in the Peruvian city of Tumbes on the border with Ecuador.
“I was playing with my other niece in a pool of blood and a block fell on her,” David Alvarado, the minor’s uncle, told AFP. said.
The tremors were most felt in southern Ecuador, where frightened people took to the streets. One of the most affected cities he was Cuenca.
“People ran away, screamed in despair, everyone got out of their cars… running, screaming, crying, desperately.”
The Ecuadorian president’s office reported that “there are injured people who are being treated quickly in hospitals,” but did not provide figures.
“Seeking Calmness”
Collapsed buildings, cracked walls and vehicles crushed by rubble. Several old houses were damaged in the historic center of Cuenca.
The move was also strongly felt in other cities such as Quito, Manabi and Manta, according to users of the social network.
Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso urged people to “keep calm and seek information through official channels” in a Twitter message.
Several roads near Cuenca were blocked by landslides after the earthquake.
The event had a magnitude of 6.8, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
In a statement, the Chilean government expressed “solidarity” with the Ecuadorian victims and assured that so far there have been no reports of Chileans being affected by the earthquake.
The quake shook the northern and central coasts, although the intensity was weakened. PeruAccording to official reports, the earthquake affected 46 people and damaged 12 houses in Tumbes.
The country’s earthquake authority reported a magnitude 7.0 quake, but corrected the reading to 6.7 hours later.
twice a year
Since noon, firefighters and police have been working to clear debris and rescue potential victims.
Memories of the devastating earthquake of 2016 draw to Ecuador. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed 673 people, destroyed coastal towns and cost nearly $3.3 billion.
“This is a relatively high magnitude for what the country is experiencing. Since 2017, the Guayaquil Bay region has experienced more or less two earthquakes of magnitude greater than 5.0 per year,” he said. Mario said. Luis, director of the Ecuador Institute of Geophysics, said in an interview with FM Mundo Radio.
Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat said “one person died” in Cuenca when the front of a house collapsed onto a vehicle. In nearby El Oro state, a tower fall recorded him three deaths.
The first aftershock of magnitude 4.8 was recorded in Barao, Ecuador.
“After 12:13 p.m., the largest aftershock occurred at 12:22 p.m. There are about eight aftershocks,” Lewis said.
The Ecuadorian Navy’s Marine Antarctic Research Institute asserted that the quake “does not meet the conditions necessary to generate a tsunami” in the Pacific.
Source: Diario.Elmundo
