What is known about the earthquake that caused at least 13 deaths and more than 120 injuries in Ecuador

An earthquake measuring 6.8 was recorded this Saturday in Ecuador and caused at least 13 deaths and over 120 injured, according to information from the country’s authorities.

The earthquake was registered around 12:12 local time and had its epicenter near the municipality of Balao, province of Guayas, near the border with Peru, at a depth of 66 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The cities of Machala and Cuenca were hardest hit, with homes destroyed and vehicles crushed in the streets.

“The earthquake was felt in almost all the provinces of the country, but there was a greater number of reports from the provinces of Guayas, Pichincha, Azuay and El Oro, especially from the cities of Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca”, he informed the Geophysical Institute of Ecuador. .

In its most recent report, the Ecuadorian presidency said 13 people had died and at least 126 had been injured. In total, seven houses were destroyed and around 50 suffered damage of some degree.

Most of the victims were residents of the provinces of El Oro and Azuzay. President Guillermo Lasso led the installation of an emergency committee.

“We are evaluating the effects caused by the earthquake. The institutions immediately took action and the emergency teams are mobilizing to offer all the support to those affected,” Lasso said on Twitter.

“It’s a relatively large magnitude for what we have in the country,” said Mario Ruiz, director of the Geophysical Institute of Ecuador, in an interview with FM Mundo radio.

Emergency teams have been mobilized in several affected areas to rescue people and assess the damage.

“We ran into the streets, this situation was very bad. We were very scared, we are close to the epicenter, the scare was great,” Ernesto Alvarado, a resident of the Ecuadorian island of Puná, told Reuters.

Three state-owned Petroecuador facilities have temporarily suspended their operations and have been evacuated.

Authorities said the movement did not meet the conditions necessary to generate a tsunami on mainland and island coasts.

From Peru, the earthquake was felt strongly in the north of the country, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

– This text was published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cn0q7w769z5o