6.8 magnitude earthquake kills several in Ecuador and Peru

Status: 03/19/2023 06:21 a.m

At least 15 people have died in a powerful earthquake in Ecuador. Several people are still trapped in the rubble of collapsed houses, President Lasso said. At least one person died in Peru.

At least 15 people were killed in an earthquake in southern Ecuador, according to President Guillermo Lasso. At least 381 people were injured, the Ecuadorian government said. Others are still trapped under rubble.

According to official information, eleven people died in the province of El Oro. Two more fatalities were reported in Azuay province. Lasso called on the population on Twitter to keep calm and find out more about the official channels.

The earthquake was felt in southern Ecuador and northern Peru, where at least one person died. According to Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otárola, it is a little girl who was killed when a house collapsed.

USGS: 6.8 magnitude tremor

The USGS said the magnitude of the quake was 6.8. The center was therefore around 80 kilometers south of the metropolis of Guayaquil on the Pacific.

The emergency agency said firefighters were working to save people while the National Police surveyed the damage. However, the work of the rescue workers would be made more difficult by downed power lines. The power supply was also interrupted, as was the mobile network.

Ecuador and Peru lie on what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, which stretches along the west coast of the American continent. There, several tectonic plates collide and often trigger earthquakes.

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