On Saturday, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of about 6.8 struck the Pacific Coast of Ecuador and northern Peru, killing at least 15 people and injuring 126 others, according to the US Geological Survey. The earthquake’s epicenter was located just off the coast, about 50 miles south of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s second-largest city. One victim died in Peru, while the other 14 died in Ecuador, with 12 victims in the coastal state of El Oro and two in the highlands state of Azuay.
The earthquake caused severe damage to infrastructure, including healthcare centers and schools, and left many people trapped under rubble. Rescue teams worked tirelessly to free those trapped, while firefighters worked to rescue people from collapsed buildings. The National Police assessed the damage, but their work was made more difficult by downed lines that interrupted telephone and electricity service.
The earthquake was felt from the northern border of Peru with Ecuador to the central Pacific coast. In Peru, a 4-year-old girl died from head trauma she suffered in the collapse of her home in the Tumbes region, on the border with Ecuador. In Ecuador’s Azuay state, one victim was a passenger in a vehicle crushed by rubble from a house in the Andean community of Cuenca.
Ecuador is particularly prone to earthquakes, with a devastating quake in 2016 killing over 600 people. The government has reported damages to infrastructure and ordered the closure of three vehicular tunnels in Guayaquil, which anchors a metro area of over 3 million people. While there were concerns about a potential tsunami, Ecuador’s Adverse Events Monitoring Directorate ruled out any such threat.
The earthquake generated alarm in the population, with residents reporting objects falling inside their homes and cracks appearing in buildings and homes. Videos shared on social media showed people gathered on the streets of Guayaquil and nearby communities. The earthquake has caused significant damage and loss of life, leaving many communities devastated and in need of assistance.
