The earthquake was also felt in Peru, a neighboring country. However, it should not cause tsunami.
the world with AFP
At least twelve people died on Saturday March 18 during an important earthquake in the south of Ecuador, according to an official assessment. The American seismological institute USGS said that its magnitude had reached 6.8.
The earthquake also made at least one injured and caused material damage. It occurred at 12:12 p.m. with an epicenter in the town of Balao at a depth of 44 kilometers, according to the authorities. He caused the panic of inhabitants who came out in the streets. Housing collapsed in several cities, including Cuenca, one of the most affected.
“I got out in the street because I saw people running, terrified, others getting out of cars,” tells the agency France-Presse Magay Escandón, seller of sewing items In this Andean city.
In the historic center of Cuenca, old houses have been damaged, AFP journalists reported. The earthquake was also felt in Quito, Manabi and Manta, according to testimonies on social networks. The Ecuadorian President, Guillermo Lasso, launched an “call for calm and information by the official roads” in a message on Twitter.
In Peru, where the earthquake has had a lower scale, no victim or significant damage has been reported so far.
According to the Oceanographic and Antarctic Institute of the Ecuadorian Navy, the shock “does not meet the conditions likely to generate a tsunami” in the Pacific.