At least 15 dead in powerful earthquake in Ecuador and Peru

At least 15 people have been killed in a strong earthquake in southern Ecuador. At least 11 of the deaths from collapsing apartments or buildings came from El Oro province on the Pacific coast, two from Azuay in the Andean highlands, the Ecuadorian newspaper “El Comercio” reported Saturday. An additional 381 people were injured, according to the Ecuadorian government. More than 100 buildings, including health centers, were damaged and some were destroyed.

According to the Geological Institute (IG) of the South American country, several earthquakes have occurred, the strongest at 6.8 around 35 kilometers off the coast of Balao canton in Guayas province. It was felt in several provinces. The earth also shook in the north of neighboring Peru. One person has died in the Tumbes region, according to the Peruvian news agency “Agencia Andina”, it was a four-year-old girl who fell on her head from a wall.

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso called for calm and traveled to the hard-hit provinces of El Oro and Azuay, where he visited a hospital and met officials, among other things. In the historic center of the city of Cuenca, a person died when the wall of a house fell on his car. Several buildings collapsed in Machala, burying people.

The entire west coast of the American double continent lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is known for its high seismic activity. A devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Ecuadorian coast in April 2016, killing more than 570 people and injuring thousands. (sda/dpa)