Ecuadorian and Peruvian authorities were working this Sunday (19) to assess the damage caused by the strong earthquake the day before that shook the region, leaving at least 15 dead and hundreds injured.
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Ecuador’s coastal province of Guayas at noon on Saturday (local time) and residents reported tremors across much of the country, as well as border towns in northern Peru.
At midnight on Saturday, the Ecuadorian government recorded 12 deaths in the province of El Oro and two deaths in the province of Azuay, in addition to more than 440 injuries.
Peruvian authorities reported one death, four houses collapsed and five others uninhabitable, while essential services and transport infrastructure were undamaged.
During his Sunday message, Pope Francis sent his condolences for the losses and for “all those who suffer” due to the earthquake. Other governments, including those of Chile and Cuba, also sent messages of solidarity.
Ecuador and Peru are part of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an extensive area that surrounds the Pacific Ocean, where collisions between continental plates are frequent.
Source: CNN Brasil
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