Quito (EFE).- A total of fourteen people died in Ecuador and one in Peru due to an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 on the Richter open scale, which occurred in the province of Guayas, in the coastal zone of Ecuador.
The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, reported that twelve people died in the province of El Oro, on the border with Peru, and two in Azuay, also located in the south of the country.
From Lima, the death of a 4-year-old girl was confirmed after the strong tremor that was felt at noon this Saturday in the northern Peruvian region of Tumbes, with its epicenter in Ecuador, and which also left dozens of victims, as well as homes. destroyed, disabled and affected, including health centers and other infrastructure.
381 injured by the earthquake
According to the Ecuadorian authorities, the earthquake left 381 injured, several of whom were visited in health centers by the head of state, who in a press conference on Saturday night indicated that two other people died as a result of winter.
The military supported the air evacuation of the wounded from the city of Machala to health centers in Guayaquil.
Official reports in Ecuador show 90 homes affected, 44 destroyed, fifty educational units affected, as well as 17 public assets, 20 private assets, 31 health centers and one private asset destroyed, as well as a bridge.
It was felt in most of the country
After the 6.5 earthquake that occurred at noon this Saturday, and which was felt in 13 of the 24 provinces of the country, four more of magnitudes 4.8 were registered, as well as 3.7 and two of 3.5, with epicenter in the extreme northeast of Isla Puná in the Gulf of Guayaquil (southwest).
Among the damages to infrastructures, the collapse of facades, broken glass and cracks in walls, among others, were reported.
Likewise, the collapse of the old cabotage pier was recorded, damage to the YAT Club Machala, and the fall of telephone lines, and lack of electricity in several cantons of the province of El Oro.
The Oceanographic Institute of the Navy reported that the earthquake did not meet the necessary conditions to generate a tsunami on the continental and insular coast of the country.
According to the public company Petroecuador, the facilities of the Marítimo-Balao, Chorrillos, Monteverde, La Libertad, La Toma Loja Deposit terminals did not register any news.
Polyducts unaffected by the earthquake
The Esmeraldas-Quito pipeline stopped momentarily as a precaution, but then it operated again without incident.
Likewise, the Pascuales Terminal and LNG Plant, and Terminal 3 Bocas suspended activities and were evacuated as a precaution. No news was reported in the initial balance.
The Guayaquil and Cuenca airports operated without news and the hydrocarbons sector did not register any news.
The Guayaquil city council, capital of the Guayas province, specified that there was a partial structural collapse and 29 architectural (non-structural) collapses in the urban area; while in the rural area it was registered: 1 structural collapse in Puná and 15 architectural collapses (11 in Puná and 4 in Tenguel) and one minor injury.
During the installation of the National Emergency Operations Committee (COE), President Lasso reported that his Government was activated with “emergency character” to provide the necessary care to those affected by the earthquake.
The Integrated Security Service (ECU 911) indicated that they registered more than 400 emergencies nationwide, most of them were in the city of Machala, in the province of El Oro.
Fire belt
Ecuador is located in the Pacific Belt or Ring of Fire, which concentrates some of the most important subduction zones (collapse of tectonic plates) in the world and is the scene of strong seismic activity.
In addition to Ecuador, the Belt, which is shaped like a horseshoe, includes other countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
On April 16, Ecuador will remember the seventh anniversary of one of the most destructive earthquakes in its recent history, of magnitude 7.8.
This natural phenomenon, which occurred on April 16, 2016, left more than 670 dead, thousands injured, and millions in material losses.
The Pope expresses his closeness to Ecuador after the earthquake
Pope Francis today expressed his “closeness” to the people of Ecuador after the earthquake that has shaken this country and which has resulted in at least 14 deaths and extensive material damage, also in neighboring Peru.
“Dear brothers and sisters, yesterday in Ecuador an earthquake caused many injuries and enormous damage. I feel close to the Ecuadorian people and I assure my prayer for the deceased and all those who suffer, ”he said from the window of the Apostolic Palace after the Sunday Angelus prayer.
