The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, announced that he will declare a state of emergency in the country to accelerate the reconstruction of the assets affected by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred on Saturday in the coastal province of Guayas (southwest).
“We are going to declare a state of emergency, without restriction of rights, at the national level in order to facilitate and accelerate the public contracting of the affected structures,” said the president.
The ruler indicated that the measure is part of a series of actions that will be implemented to support those affected by the earthquake.
According to the Ecuadorian Government, the earthquake caused a severe impact in several locations in the South American country, mainly in Guayas; El Oro (south-border with Peru), the hardest hit; and Azuay (south).
The latest balance of the Secretariat for Risk Management indicated that the event has so far left 13 dead, 484 injured and extensive material damage to homes, health centers, roads, public and private property.
«The Government of Ecuador is activated on all fronts. Our goal is to take more immediate actions to return us to normality,” added the president, after noting that they seek to repair the damage as soon as possible.
Lasso also expressed that emergency funds from multilateral organizations will be managed to quickly have the resources needed to attend to the emergency.
Courtesy.