Photo: Robert Puglla / EFE
He earthquake Registered in Ecuador had a magnitude of 6.8 according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) and checked in at 12:15 p.m. (local time) on Saturday near the coast of the country, had its epicenter in Balao, in the province of Guayas and was felt as far as northern Peru, according to an Ecuadorian media outlet Ecuavisa.
President William Lasso assured that at least 12 people have died, 11 in the province of Loro and 1 in the province of Guayas, and material damage has been reported at a press conference held on Saturday afternoon, and that resources have been mobilized to assess the damage and care for the victims. Injuries are also being reported.
The president closed his statement by assuring: “We will execute actions immediately.”
Lasso said that he will travel to Machala, in the province of El Oro in the southwest of the country and near the Gulf of Guayaquil, to assess damage and meet with local authorities, with the aim of coordinating aid to those affected in El Oro.
The president announced that he will travel with the Minister of Government, Henry Cucalón, and the Secretary of Risk Management, Cristian Torres. In that sense, he pointed out that El Oro seems to be the province most affected by the damage.
According to an initial report from the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School (IG), the epicenter of the first earthquake was near Puná Island, in the Gulf of Guayaquil, 29 kilometers from the Balao canton. This one was registered at 12:12 pm. The movement originated at a depth of 44 kilometers and had a magnitude of 6.5 degrees.
The Oceanographic and Antarctic Institute of the Peruvian Navy (Inocar) ruled out the existence of a tsunami risk on the Ecuadorian coasts.
The Guayaquil and Cuenca airports continue to operate and in the capital Guayaquil only damage has been reported so far.
The USGS gave the tremor an “orange alert” and said that “it is likely that there were many casualties and that the disaster was potentially widespread.”
“Past events at this alert level have required a response at the regional or national level,” the USGS added. He also estimated possible damages and economic losses.
Relatives of a CNN producer in the western port city of Guayaquil said they felt “very strong” tremors.
An initial monitoring carried out by the authorities reported effects from the earthquake in 4 provinces: Azuay, Machala, Guayas and Chimborazo.