Powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake rocks Ecuador; 28 dead, "considerable damage" caused

• Report rights infringement
• published: 17 Apr 2016
• views: 1628

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador on Sunday (April 17), the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported, killing at least 28 people as "considerable damage" was reported and a tsunami warning was also issued for local coasts. Vice-President Jorge Glas said that 28 people were dead. He also said on Twitter earlier that a national emergency committee had been activated. "I am on the way to the national emergency centre to coordinate operations nationwide. We will keep you informed," he said. With a depth of 10km, the quake struck at 11.58pm GMT (7.58am Sunday, Singapore time) about 173 km west-north-west of Quito and just 28km south-south-east of Muisne, the USGS said. The USGS said the quake had a magnitude of 7.8, though Ecuador's Institute of Geophysics on its Twitter account published several different figures that were lower. "Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300km of the earthquake epicentre," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said, adding that tsunami waves reaching 0.3m to 1m above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Ecuador. Pictures provided to Reuters by the government showed a bridge collapsed in the coastal city of Guayaquil and a collapsed tower at the airport in the city of Manta. "There is considerable damage in the area of the epicenter and also as far away as places like the city of Guayaquil," the Geophysics Institute said in a bulletin, but gave no details. In fact, two earthquakes jolted the same area just 11 minutes apart, the USGS said. The first measured 4.8 and the second 7.8. Earlier reports had put the magnitude of the second quake at 7.4. The quake sent confused residents streaming into the streets of Quito and spurred warnings of strong waves on the Andean nation's coast. "I was in my house watching a movie and everything started to shake. I ran out into the street and now I don't know what's going to happen," said Ms Lorena Cazares, 36, a telecommunications worker in Quito. Some parts of the capital were without power or telephone service, with many communicating only via What'sapp. Photos on social media showed cracks in the walls of shopping centres. The Andean country's emergency authority did not confirm any reports of damage. President Rafael Correa, on a visit to the Vatican, sent a message of support on Twitter. "Authorities are already out evaluating damage and taking action" as needed," he said. The quake also rattled northern Peru, the authorities there said. The major jolt came as rescuers in Japan were racing against the weather and the threat of more landslides to reach people still trapped by two big earthquakes that hit that country's south. At last 41 people are known to have died in the double disaster, with at least six still missing - feared buried in shattered houses or under torrents of mud.