A 6.5-magnitude earthquake has hit the Ecuadorian Pacific coast, near the border with Peru, leaving at least 14 people dead and close to 400 injured. The Secretariat of Risk Management of the Government of Ecuador has confirmed the deaths of 11 people in the province of El Oro and two in the province of Azuay. The Ministry of Public Health has reported that so far 381 people have been treated in health centers, with the largest number of injured in the canton of El Pasaje, in El Oro. The earthquake has caused damage to 90 houses, the destruction of 44 others, and damage to 31 health centers and 50 educational centers, as well as a bridge and several public and private buildings. Puná Island, off the coast of Guayaquil, has suffered a power outage because a damaged house is at risk of collapsing on the main lines of the island’s thermal power plant.
Firefighters and the Corporación Eléctrica have requested a two-hour power outage at the plant to prevent further damage. The earthquake has also caused landslides, making some roads unusable, such as the one connecting Cuenca and Molleturo. The work to clear them will take more than twelve hours. The President of the country, Guillermo Lasso, sent a message of support and solidarity to the families of the victims, visited the injured at the IESS-Machala Hospital, spoke with the mayor of the city to confirm the support of the government and the availability of the country’s resources, and is on his way to the cities of Cuenca, Machala, and Guayaquil, the three most affected localities in the country.
The earthquake has been felt in thirteen provinces of the country, although damages are concentrated in Guayas, Azuay, El Oro, and Chimborazo. Peru’s National Emergency Operations Center (COEN) has confirmed that a four-year-old girl has died in the earthquake, and at least 29 people have been injured and 73 people have been affected in the country. The tragedy has caused pain and consternation in the Ecuadorian population, which is united in solidarity and support for the victims and their families, while authorities and rescue teams are working hard to attend to the injured, recover damages, and provide humanitarian assistance to the victims.