At least 77 have died, damage is widespread
- At least 77 dead, 500 injured
- Tremor with magnitude of 7.8
- State of emergency declared in six provinces
- National Guard mobilised
What is happening?
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At least 77 people have died during a powerful earthquake in Ecuador.
The tremor, centred in a sparsely populated area near the coastal town of Muisne, measured 7.8 on the Richter scale.
A state of emergency has been declared in six provinces.
The National Guard has been mobilised.
What the experts say
The US Geological Survey:
- 8pm local time (0100 GMT)
- quake was at a depth of 19.2 km
- epicentre was 27 km from Muisne
Tsunami threat from Ecuador quake has mostly passed, says Pacific Tsunami Warning Center https://t.co/gTOTPzGwIN
— Williams Lake News (@wlLakenews) April 17, 2016
- Tsunami threat for Ecuador coast has mostly passed – Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
- Tsunami alert issued for northern Peru
In tweets
PHOTO: A hotel in Manta, Ecuador, barely stands after a deadly earthquake (AP Photo by Patricio Ramos) pic.twitter.com/V0CbPawn7l
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 17, 2016
Powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocks Ecuador, 28 dead https://t.co/mZLcjorVdw pic.twitter.com/RDzHkmBpZw
— Times of India (@timesofindia) April 17, 2016
Our thoughts are with the people of #Ecuador this morning following news of a massive earthquake there #Quito https://t.co/pggZcIOIZR
— Guardian Paramedics (@GParamedics) April 17, 2016
BREAKING: Massive 7.4 earthquake hits Ecuador (USGS) pic.twitter.com/oC5gY4Tdus
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) April 17, 2016
The Ring of Fire
Ecuador is at risk from earthquakes.
The country is located on what experts call the “Ring of Fire”.
This is a horseshoe-shaped, seismically active zone around the rim of the Pacific Ocean.
Timeline: last earthquakes in Latin América
What they are saying
“We have 16 people dead in the city of Portoviejo, 10 in Manta and two in the province of Guayas” – Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas