An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale throttled the central coast of Ecuador killing at least 41 people. The epicenter was about 16 miles southeast of Muisne.
As per news reports, the effect of the quake was felt even in Quito, which is the capital city of Ecuador and lies 105 miles away from the epicenter.
As per reports, the death toll is likely to rise even further.
While a state of emergency has been declared in six out of 24 provinces in the country, a nationwide exception has been announced by the government. Several deaths have been reported in parts of Guayas, Manabí, and Esmeraldas province.
Pedernales which is a town close to the epicenter witnessed flattened buildings and people being buried under them. As per the mayor, it wasn’t just a building that collapsed, but an entire town.
While the government has not issued a Tsunami alert yet, according to The Pacific Tsunami Warning, hazardous tsunami waves are a possibility for some coasts. Thus, people living close to the coasts have been asked to move away from the coast to higher grounds.
After the quake, more than 35 aftershocks followed. One of them was even as strong as six on the Richter scale. Residents have been asked to be prepared for even stronger aftershocks in the coming days.
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