A a strong earthquake rocked southern Ecuador and northern Peru on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and trapping others under rubble and sending rescue teams into streets littered with debris and downed power lines.
The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.8 earthquake centered near the Pacific coast, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s second-largest city. One of the victims died in Peru, and 14 others died in Ecuador, where authorities also said at least 126 people were injured.
A man photographs a building that collapsed after an earthquake in Machala, Ecuador, Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Johnny Crespo)
A police officer looks next to a car wrecked by debris after an earthquake struck Cuenca, Ecuador, Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Xavier Caivinagua)
The President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso told reporters that the earthquake “undoubtedly … caused alarm among the population.” A statement from Lasso’s office said 12 victims died in the coastal state of El Oro and two in the highland state of Azuay.
In Peru, the earthquake was felt from its northern border with Ecuador to the central Pacific coast. Peru’s Prime Minister Alberto Atarola said a 4-year-old girl died from head injuries she suffered when her house collapsed in the Tumbes region, on borders Ecuador.
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One of the victims in Azua was a passenger in a car that crashed into a house in the Andean community of Cuenca, according to the Secretariat for Risk Management, Ecuador’s emergency management agency.
In El Oro, the agency also reported that several people were trapped under the rubble. In the village of Machala, a two-story house collapsed before people could evacuate, the pier gave way, and the walls of the building cracked, trapping an unknown number of people.
The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.7 earthquake about 50 miles south of Guayaquil. (AP Photo/Xavier Caivinagua)
The agency reported firefighters were working to rescue people while the National Police assesses the damage, its work complicated by broken lines that cut telephone and electricity connections.
Machala resident Fabricio Cruz said he was in his third-floor apartment when he felt a strong jolt and saw his TV fall to the ground. He went straight away.
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“I heard my neighbors screaming and there was a lot of noise,” said Cruz, a 34-year-old photographer. He added that, looking around, he noticed collapsed roofs of nearby houses.
The Ecuadorian government also reported damage to health centers and schools. Lasso said he would go to El Oro on Saturday.
The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.8 earthquake centered near the Pacific coast, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Guayaquil. (AP Photo/Jorge Sanchez)
In Guayaquil, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Quito, authorities reported cracks in buildings and houses and collapsed walls. Authorities have ordered the closure of three car tunnels in Guayaquil, which connect the metro area with more than 3 million people.
Videos shared on social media showed people gathering on the streets of Guayaquil and nearby communities. People have reported falling objects in their homes.
One video posted online showed the three presenters throwing a dart from the studio table as the set shook. At first they tried to reset it due to a minor earthquake, but soon escaped from the cell. One of the hosts revealed that the show would have a commercial break, while another repeated: “Oh my God, oh my God.”
Luis Tamala was fishing with others when the earthquake struck. According to him, their boat started to move, “like a galloping horse, we got scared, and when we turned on the radio, we heard about an earthquake.” Then his group, Tomalo said, decided to stay at sea fearing a tsunami could develop
Household items float in water after an earthquake in Machala, Ecuador, Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Erick Feijoo)
A report from Ecuador’s Adverse Events Monitoring Office ruled out a tsunami threat.
Peruvian authorities said the old walls of an army barracks collapsed in Tumbes.
Ecuador is particularly prone to earthquakes. In 2016, the earthquake occurred further north of the river Pacific coast more than 600 people died in a less populated part of the country.
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Machala student Kathryn Cruz said her house shook so badly she couldn’t even get up to leave her room and run outside.
“It was terrible. I have never felt anything like this in my life,” she said.
