At least 14 people have died and more than 300 have been injured as a result of the 6.7-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale that shook the Ecuadorian Pacific coast this Saturday, near the border with Peru.
The Risk Management Secretariat of the Ecuadorian Government has so far confirmed eleven deaths in the province of El Oro and two in the province of Azuay. The Ministry of Public Health has reported that so far 381 people have been treated in health centers, with the largest number of injured being in the canton of El Pasaje, in El Oro.
The Secretariat has also reported that 90 homes have been damaged, another 44 have been destroyed and there are 31 health centers and 50 educational centers affected, as well as a bridge and various public and private buildings.
On Puná Island, off the coast of Guayaquil, the Ecuadorian Electricity Corporation has reported a power outage, due to the fact that a house that has been damaged is at risk of collapsing on the main lines of the island’s thermal power plant. In order to be able to work in the area and avoid further damage, the Fire Department and the Electricity Corporation have requested the power cut at the plant for the two hours that its operations last.
Some highways, including the one that connects Cuenca and Molleturo, have been rendered useless by landslides as a result of the earthquake, and the Government has reported that the work to clear them will take more than twelve hours.
GUILLERMO LASSO VISITS THE AFFECTED AREAS
For his part, the country’s president, Guillermo Lasso, has sent a message of support and solidarity to the families of the deceased, and has visited the injured at the IESS-Machala Hospital. He has also spoken with the mayor of the city to confirm the support of his government and the provision of the country’s resources.
Through a video on his Twitter account, he has sent a message of support to all those affected and has reported that he is on his way to the city of Cuenca, which together with Machala and Guayaquil present the most damaged towns in the country.
The earthquake was felt in thirteen provinces of the country, although the damage is centered in Guayas, Azuay, El Oro and Chimborazo.
PERU REPORTS ONE FATAL VICTIM AND DOZENS OF INJURIES
The National Emergency Operations Center of Peru (COEN) has confirmed that a four-year-old girl has died in the earthquake, which has also affected part of the country.
The girl was transferred to the Tumbes Regional Hospital after being injured by part of the roof of her home falling, but she finally died this Friday.
They have also reported that at the moment there are at least 29 people injured and another 73 affected by the earthquake. Four houses have been destroyed, another five are still standing but in an uninhabitable condition, and 72 have suffered damage. In addition, two health centers have been damaged.
The Defense Minister, Jorge Chávez; that of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, Hania Pérez de Cuéllar; the Minister of Health, Rosa Bertha Gutiérrez Palomino and the President of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola.
In Peru, the districts that have presented damage have been Tumbes, San Jacinto, San Juan de La Virgen, La Cruz, Zorritos, Zarumilla, Papayal, Matapalo and Aguas Verdes.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has located the epicenter of the earthquake 6 kilometers north-northeast of the town of Baláo and 66.4 kilometers deep. In addition, the Geophysical Institute of Ecuador has confirmed that so far there have been seven aftershocks after the earthquake.