A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook southern Ecuador and northern Peru at midday on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 400 between the two South American countries.
TERREMOTO de 7.0 en ZARUMILLA ECUADOR. #Terremoto #Sismo #ecuador #tumbes #USAR #Quito #Peru #rescue #Peru #TW #ULTIMO #Noticia #Desastres #SOS pic.twitter.com/hjEXhkSXti
— JOTA (@15desetiembre21) March 18, 2023
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake originated in the town of Baláo, located on the Pacific coast about 50 miles south of Guayaquil, Ecuador's second most populous city.
Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.7 - 6 km NNE of Baláo, Ecuador https://t.co/w577YHB2DP
— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) March 18, 2023
The most affected area was the Ecuadorian province of El Oro, where a total of 12 people were killed. Two other people died in the state of Azuay, according to the office of Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso:
Informe de afectaciones y levantamiento de daños reportados por @Riesgos_Ec, con corte a las 23:54. Manténgase informado por fuentes oficiales.#CruzadaPorElEcuador pic.twitter.com/X9afHMEFOK
— Comunicación Ecuador 🇪🇨 (@ComunicacionEc) March 19, 2023
In the latest press release, the Ecuadorian president reported that 446 people had been injured in the country. In addition, a total of 180 houses, 33 health centers and 80 schools were affected and five bridges collapsed as a result of the earthquake.
The earthquake was felt in 13 of the 24 Ecuadorian provinces and had aftershocks with magnitudes of 3.6, 3.7 and 4.8 that were felt mainly in Puná Island in the Gulf of Guayaquil.
Four-year-old girl died and 29 people injured in earthquake in Peru
Peru was also affected by the earthquake. Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otárola told the AP that a four-year-old girl died from head trauma caused by the collapse of her house in the Tumbes region.
Seguimos trabajando con eficiencia y rapidez para atender a las familias damnificadas. Los peruanos somos más grandes que cualquier problema y emergencia. 🤝 🇵🇪
— Alberto Otárola (@AlbertoOtarolaP) March 18, 2023
In addition to the little girl, the country reported in statements collected by Europa Press that 29 people had been injured and that 79 had been affected by the earthquake. In addition, four houses had collapsed, five others were still standing but uninhabitable and 72 had suffered some damage. The most damaged districts were those of Tumbes, San Jacinto, San Juan de La Virgen, La Cruz, Zorritos, Zarumilla, Papayal, Matapalo and Aguas Verdes.
