Earthquake kills 14 in Ecuador and Peru
Quito, Mar 18 (EFE).- At least 13 people were killed and 126 others injured Saturday as a result of an earthquake off the coast of the Pacific port city of Guayaquil, Ecuadorian authorities said, while one death was reported in neighboring Peru.
The United States Geological Survey estimated the intensity of the temblor at magnitude-6.8.
Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat said that most of the deaths were in the southern province of El Oro, bordering Peru.
Some 50 homes were damaged, along with 17 schools and 31 health facilities, the secretariat said, adding that parts of El Oro lost electricity and telephone service.
The municipal government in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s most populous city, said that several buildings suffered structural damage and one resident was slightly injured.
In a televised address, President Guillermo Lasso told Ecuadorians that his government was mobilized to provide assistance to everyone affected by the quake.
Peru’s National Emergency Center said that a 4-year-old girl perished at the Regional Hospital in Tumbes of injuries received when the temblor caused the roof of her family’s home to give way.
The center also mentioned damage to homes, schools, and clinics in the region.
Prime Minister Alberto Otarola was visiting the neighboring region of Piura at the time of the earthquake and rushed to Tumbes to coordinate the disaster response.
“We have come to Tumbes to meet with the governor and put ourselves at his service, to see what the damage and consequences are,” Otarola said.
Peru and Ecuador are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which accounts for around 85 percent of global seismic activity.
Ecuador will soon mark the seventh anniversary of the magnitude-7.8 earthquake of April 16, 2023, which left more than 670 people dead. EFE
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