Magnitude 6.7 tremor shakes coastal Guayas area, damaging houses and buildings.
A powerful earthquake has shaken the area round Ecuador’s second-largest metropolis, killing at the very least 4 individuals, damaging houses and buildings, and sending panicked residents into the streets.
The US Geological Survey reported an earthquake on Saturday with a magnitude of 6.7 within the nation’s coastal Guayas area. It was centred about 80km (50 miles) south of Guayaquil, which anchors a metro space of greater than 3 million individuals.
President Guillermo Lasso tweeted a message asking residents to stay calm.
The South American nation’s emergency response company, the Danger Administration Secretariat, reported one individual died within the Andean neighborhood of Cuenca. The sufferer was a passenger in a automotive trapped below the rubble of a home. Three different individuals died within the coastal state of El Oro, the company stated.
In Guayaquil, about 270km (170 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito, authorities reported cracks in homes and different buildings in addition to some collapsed partitions. Authorities ordered the closure of three street tunnels.
Movies shared on social media present individuals gathered on the streets of Guayaquil and close by communities. Folks reported objects falling inside their houses.
One video posted on-line confirmed three presenters of a tv present dart from their studio desk because the set shook.
They initially tried to shake it off as a minor quake however quickly fled off digicam. One presenter indicated the present would go on a industrial break whereas one other repeated, “My God. My God.”
A pier sank within the metropolis of Machala. The earthquake was additionally felt in northern Peru.
