A
powerful, 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador's central coast on
Saturday, killing at least 28 people and spreading panic hundreds of
miles away as it collapsed homes and buckled a major overpass.
The
U.S. Geological Survey said the shallow quake, the strongest in decades
to hit Ecuador, was centered 27 kilometers (16 miles) south-southeast
of Muisne, a sparsely populated area of fishing ports that's popular
with tourists.
Vice
President Jorge Glas said in a televised address that there were
initial reports of 28 dead in the cities of Manta, Portoviejo and
Guayaquil - all several hundred miles from where the quake struck
shortly after nightfall.
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A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck off the coast of Ecuador late on Saturday, killing at least 28 people
The U.S.
Geological Survey said the shallow quake was centered 27 kilometers (16
miles) south-southeast of Muisne, Ecuador, in a sparsely populated area
of fishing ports popular with tour
The death toll is likely to rise as reports from the worst-hit areas come in.
Among those killed was the driver of a car crushed by an overpass that buckled in Guayaquil, the country's most populous city.
On
social media residents shared photos of homes collapsed, the roof of a
shopping center coming apart and supermarket shelves shaking violently.
In Manta, the airport was closed after the control tower collapsed, injuring an air force official.
Hydroelectric dams and oil pipelines in the OPEC-member nation were shut down as a precautionary measure.
Residents survey destroyed housing following the earthquake in Guayaquil
Rescue workers stand next to a destroyed car after the collapse of a bridge
An airport control tower stands heavily damage. A state of emergency had been declared nationwide
President
Rafael Correa, who is in Rome after attending a Vatican conference
Friday, called on Ecuadoreans to stay strong while authorities monitor
events.
He
said on Twitter that he had signed a decree declaring a national
emergency but that the earliest he could get back to Ecuador is Sunday
afternoon.
He said that there are 'dozens of dead' from the earthquake.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves are possible for some coasts.
While
the government hadn't issued a tsunami alert, Glas urged residents
along the coast to move to higher ground and towns near the epicenter
were also being evacuated as a precautionary measure.
An
emergency had been declared in six of Ecuador's 24 provinces, while
sporting events and concerts were cancelled until further notice
nationwide.
'It's very important that Ecuadoreans remain calm during this emergency,' Glas said from Ecuador's national crisis room.
Patients and relatives wait outside the Colombia Clinic in Cali, Colombia,
A group of patients are evacuated from a clinic due to the presence of cracks in the building
In the capital, the quake was felt for
about 40 seconds and people fled to the streets in fear. Quito is
located about 170 kilometers (105 miles) from the quake's epicenter
The
quake was felt across the border in Colombia, where it shook residents
in Cali and Popayan, and Peru briefly issued a tsunami.
In
the capital Quito hundreds of kilometers away, the quake was felt for
about 40 seconds and people fled to the streets in fear.
The
quake knocked out electricity in several neighborhoods and six homes
collapsed but the situation under control and power being restored,
Quito's Mayor Mauricio Rodas said.
'I'm in a state of panic,' said Zoila Villena, one of many Quito residents who congregated in the streets.
'My building moved a lot and things fell to the floor. Lots of neighbors were screaming and kids crying.'
'I was in my house watching a movie and everything started
to shake. I ran out into the street and now I don't know what's
going to happen,' said Lorena Cazares, 36, a telecommunications
worker in Quito.
The quake knocked out electricity and cellphone coverage in several neighborhoods in the capital
Patients and relatives wait outside the Colombia Clinic in Cali, Colombia
In the capital, the quake was felt for
about 40 seconds and people fled to the streets in fear. Quito is
located about 170 kilometers (105 miles) from the quake's epicenter
The shockwaves sent confused residents streaming into the streets of the capital Quito
A collapsed bridge in Guayaquil, Ecuador, after the powerful earthquake hit the country
The USGS originally put the quake at a magnitude of 7.4 then raised it to 7.8. It had a depth of 19 kilometers.
At
least 36 aftershocks followed, one as strong as 6 on the Richter scale,
and authorities urged residents to brace for even stronger ones in the
coming hours and days.
Guayaquil's international airport was also closed because of a lack of communications.
The quake comes on the heels of two deadly earthquakes across the Pacific, in the southernmost of Japan's four main islands.
A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck Thursday near Kumamoto, followed by a magnitude-7.3 earthquake just 28 hours later.
The quakes have killed 41 people and injured about 1,500, flattened houses and triggered major landslides.
A shakemap shows the location of a 7.4
magnitude earthquake near Esmeraldas, some 28km South-southeast of
Muisne, near the coast of Ecuador
Cars travel on a darkened street after the failure of electrical service
Patients wait at the emergency room after many were evacuated
Patients and relatives wait outside the Colombia Clinic in Cali, Colombia,
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