Deaths reported after strong earthquake 50 miles south of Ecuador’s second city

A beardown earthquake shook the portion astir Ecuador’s second-largest metropolis connected Saturday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 4 people, damaging homes and buildings, and sending panicked residents into the streets.

The US Geological Survey reported an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 successful the country’s coastal Guayas region. Its centre was astir 50 miles (80 kilometres) southbound of Guayaquil, which has a metropolitan country of much than 3 cardinal people.

The country’s president, Guillermo Lasso, tweeted a connection asking residents to stay calm.

The South American country’s exigency effect agency, the Risk Management Secretariat, reported that 1 idiosyncratic died successful the Andean assemblage of Cuenca. The unfortunate was a rider successful a conveyance trapped nether the rubble of a house. Three different radical died successful the coastal authorities of El Oro, the bureau reported.

In Guayaquil, astir 170 miles south-west of the capital, Quito, authorities reported cracks connected buildings and homes, arsenic good arsenic immoderate collapsed walls. Authorities ordered the closure of 3 conveyance tunnels.

Videos shared connected societal media amusement radical gathered connected the streets of Guayaquil and adjacent communities and radical reported objects falling wrong their homes.

One video posted online showed 3 TV presenters dart from their workplace desk arsenic their acceptable shook. They initially tried to disregard the tremors arsenic a insignificant quake but soon fled disconnected camera. One anchor indicated the amusement would spell to a commercialized break, portion different repeated:, “My God, my God.”

The quake besides affected the metropolis of Machala wherever a pier sank and it was felt successful bluish Peru.