Earthquake strikes between Peru and Ecuador, killing at least 12
A major earthquake was reported in the Ecuadorian municipality of Palau at a depth of 44 kilometers.
A building collapse killed one in Cuenca (South) and three in the surrounding area.
AFP
At least 12 people were killed in Saturday’s massive earthquake in southern Ecuador, which also affected neighboring Peru, according to official reports. The USGS put the magnitude at 6.8.
“Currently we have 12 dead”, including 11 in El Oro province and one in Azue, Ecuador’s presidency said on Twitter. At least one person was injured and property damaged in the earthquake.
It was an earthquake at 12:12 p.m. (6:12 p.m. in Switzerland) at a depth of 44 kilometers in Palau, officials said. The earthquake caused panic among the people who took to the streets. Houses collapsed in several cities, including Cuenca, one of the worst-hit cities.
Collapsed building
“I went to the street because I saw people running, scared, others getting out of cars,” Magali Escandon, a sewing goods seller in this Andean town, told AFP. Collapsed buildings, cracked walls, collapsed vehicles. In Cuenca’s historic center, old houses were damaged, AFP reporters said.
AFP
Accounts on social media said the quake was felt in Quito, Manabi and Manta. Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso issued a “call for information through calm and official channels” in a message on Twitter.
In Peru, the earthquake was mild, with no loss of life or major damage so far. According to the Maritime and Antarctic Institute of the Ecuadorian Navy, the tremor “does not meet the conditions that can generate a tsunami” in the Pacific.
AFP
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