At least four people have been reported dead and homes and buildings have been damaged after a strong earthquake shook the region around Ecuador’s second-largest city on Saturday, causing panicked residents to take to the streets.
The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7 and was centred about 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Guayaquil, which has a metropolitan area of more than 3 million people, in the country’s coastal Guayas region.
Guillermo Lasso, the country’s president, tweeted a message asking residents to remain calm.
The Risk Management Secretariat, the South American country’s emergency response agency, reported that one person died in the Andean community of Cuenca. The victim was a passenger in a vehicle trapped under the rubble of a house. The agency also reported that three other people died in the coastal state of El Oro.
In Guayaquil, about 170 miles southwest of the capital, Quito, authorities reported cracks on buildings and homes, as well as some collapsed walls….
2023-03-18 15:01:58
Article from www.theguardian.com