MADRID, 19 March (EUROPA PRESS) –
At least 13 people were killed and more than 300 injured in an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale that struck the Pacific coast of Ecuador this Saturday.
The Ecuadorian Government Risk Management Secretariat has so far confirmed eleven deaths in El Oro province and two in Azuay province. The Ministry of Public Health reported that 381 people have been treated in health centers so far, with the highest number of injured in the canton of El Pasaje in El Oro.
The Secretariat also reported that 50 houses were damaged, seven more were destroyed and 31 health centers and 17 education centers were affected, as well as a bridge and various public and private buildings.
On the island of Puná, off Guayaquil, the Ecuadorian Electricity Authority reported a power outage as a damaged house risks collapsing in the main lines of the island’s thermal power plant. The Fire Brigade and Electricity Authority requested a power cut for 2 hours during which the power plant was in operation so that the work could be carried out in the region and that it would not be damaged further.
Some highways, including the highway connecting Cuenca and Molleturo, became unusable due to landslides as a result of the earthquake, and the Government has said it will take more than twelve hours to clear them.
The President of the country, Guillermo Lasso, sent a message of support and solidarity to the families of those who lost their lives and stated that he would first move to El Oro state and then to Azuay. Let the two states do the most damage.
The earthquake was felt in thirteen provinces across the country, although the damage was centered in Guayas, Azuay, El Oro and Chimborazo, especially in cities such as Cuenca, Machala and Guayaquil. Authorities ruled out the possibility of a tsunami occurring because the necessary conditions were not met.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) determined that the epicenter of the earthquake was 6 kilometers north-northeast of the town of Baláo and 66.4 kilometers deep. The Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute has confirmed that there have been seven aftershocks since the earthquake so far.
Source: Noti Merica
