Ecuador quake: Death toll passes 500 dead as President signals shrinking economy. Updated A magnitude 6.2 quake shook Ecuador's already devastated Pacific coast before dawn on Wednesday (local time), terrifying residents and hindering rescuers searching for survivors of Saturday's even larger quake which killed more than 500 people.
Key points: New strong tremor rattles weary survivorsDeath toll from Saturday's quake hits 525President says economy could shrink losing 2 to 3 percentage points The latest strong, shallow tremor followed several hundred aftershocks and struck near the epicentre of Saturday's magnitude 7.8 quake, which levelled a long swath of the coastline and dealt a major blow to the Andean nation's already fragile economy. "You can't imagine what a fright it was. On a highway outside town, children sat holding placards saying "Food, please". Local media said rescue operations were temporarily suspended as hopes dwindled of finding any further survivors from Saturday's quake which killed 525 people, according to a central government tally.
Reuters. Ecuador earthquake: Death toll reaches more than 600, aftershocks continue to spook nation. Posted The death toll from Ecuador's devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake has risen to 602 people, as dozens of aftershocks shook cities and towns around the country, spooking residents but causing no further damage. Key points: Death toll rises to 602, hopes of finding survivors now slimTotal of 700 aftershocks spook Ecuador but no further damage causedGovernment will temporarily increase taxes to fund reconstructionTravellers urged to visit in order to fuel the tourism industry Last Saturday's quake, the worst in nearly seven decades, injured 12,492 people and left 130 missing, emergency management authorities said in a bulletin.
Survivors were shaken again late on Thursday night when a powerful magnitude-6.0 quake struck off Ecuador's coast about 100 kilometres north-north-west of Portoviejo and at a depth of 10 kilometres. "When it started to shake last night we started to pray," said Alex Bachon, 43, a construction worker repairing damage from the first quake at a hotel in Guayaquil. Ecuador earthquake death toll passes 400 with many still trapped. The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Ecuador has risen to 413, and many survivors are believed to still be trapped inside collapsed buildings. The government announced the updated toll on Monday night. The security minister, César Navas, said rescuers were continuing to search for victims and survivors. More than 300 aftershocks have rattled Ecuador in the 36 hours since Saturday’s quake, some measuring as high as magnitude 6.1, according to the country’s Geophysics Institute.
Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, said citizens would pull together after the disaster. “The Ecuadorian spirit knows how to move forward, and will know how to overcome these very difficult moments,” he said. Early on Monday, rescuers pulled three people from the rubble alive after they had spent more than 32 hours trapped in the ruins of a shopping centre in the city of Manta. Firefighters cut a 70cm hole in concrete to pull out two women and a young man, who were rushed to a nearby hospital. Ecuador earthquake: Aid agencies step up efforts. Image copyright AP Aid agencies are stepping up help following Saturday's devastating earthquake in Ecuador, amid concerns over the conditions faced by survivors.
Thousands of people were left homeless, making them vulnerable to dirty drinking water and disease. The World Food Programme and Oxfam are sending supplies, while the UN said it was preparing a "major airlift". The 7.8-magnitude earthquake left at least 413 people dead and some 2,500 injured. The cost of rebuilding is likely to be in the billions of dollars, President Rafael Correa said during a visit to the worst-affected region. Six survivors were pulled from the rubble of a hotel in the town of Manta but despite the efforts of emergency teams hope is fading that others will be found. The smell of rotting bodies is filling the air in the worst-hit areas, witnesses said. From Tuesday, rescue efforts would become more of a hunt for corpses, Ecuador's Interior Minister Jose Serrano told Reuters.
Image copyright AFP Are you in Ecuador? Ecuador and Japan earthquakes: Are they related? But three recent earthquakes -- on Thursday and Saturday morning in Japan and Saturday night in Ecuador -- have gotten lots of attention because of the great destruction. Here are five things to know about those quakes. 1. Are the Ecuador and Japan earthquakes related? It's way too early to tell, said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the U.S. "It's one day after the Ecuador earthquake and two days after the Japanese earthquake, so no real research has been done on these quakes as far as they're being connected," he said Sunday. "Usually we don't think earthquake are connected across the ocean," Caruso said, but there's ongoing research in "remote triggering," the idea that a big quake can cause another quake a long distance away. The distance between Japan and Ecuador: 15,445 kilometers, or about 9,590 miles. 2.
It may seem more than coincidental that the quakes occurred a few days apart. 3. The Ecuador earthquake was almost 16 times stronger than the Saturday morning quake in Japan. 4. No. Ecuador earthquake: At least 413 people confirmed dead. At least 413 people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck Ecuador, the country's government says. The 7.8-magnitude quake struck Ecuador's Pacific coast on Saturday, and the search for survivors continues. The cost of rebuilding is likely to be in the billions of dollars, President Rafael Correa said during a visit to the worst-affected region. He said it was the biggest tragedy to hit Ecuador in the past seven decades. Some 2,500 people were injured. Late on Monday, six people, including two girls - one three years old and the other nine months old - were rescued from the ruins of a hotel near the coastal town of Manta.
Elsewhere, funerals for some of those killed were held in Portoviejo and Pedernales, two towns that were the worst hit. "I fear that figure will go up because we keep on removing rubble," a shaken Mr Correa said in a televised address. The quake comes at a time when the oil-producing country is already reeling from the slump in global crude prices. Ecuador earthquake: death toll rises after 7.8-magnitude quake - latest developments. Death toll rises to 233 Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa, returning from a summit in Italy, says the death toll from Saturday night’s quake has more than tripled since the last official announcement - now 233 people. — Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael)April 17, 2016Cifra oficial de fallecidos sube a 233. Barrio Tarqui de Manta muy afectado.
Pedernales destruido. Vicepresidente se dirige a Portoviejo... Updated Our graphics team have put together this map showing the area in the Pacific Ocean basin known as the Ring of Fire, for its significant earthquake and volcanic activity. Also known as the Circum- Pacific belt, around 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in this region, the next more active is the Alpide belt from the Mediterranean toward Turkey and Iran, which produces 5-6%. Ecuador sits on the edge between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, the plates which make up the Earth surface. Here are the latest pictures of morning in Manta, close to the epicentre of the earthquake. Ecuador earthquake: Death toll rises to 233. At least 233 people have been confirmed dead after Ecuador was hit by its most powerful earthquake in decades.
Some 10,000 troops and 3,500 police are being deployed in the affected areas, as rescue operations got under way. The magnitude-7.8 quake struck early on Saturday evening and was felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia. Coastal areas in the north-west were closest to the epicentre and officials say the death toll is likely to rise as information begins to come in. Ecuador's President Rafael Correa gave the latest death toll on his twitter feed while flying back from a visit to Italy he cut short to deal with the disaster. He has declared a state of emergency and earlier called on his country to be "calm and united" "These are very difficult moments," Ecuador's Vice-President Jorge Glas said. "We have information that there are injured people who are trapped [under rubble] in different districts and we are getting ready to rescue them. " Image copyright AP Image copyright AFP. Ecuador earthquake: 'God, please stop that' - eyewitness accounts.
Image copyright AFP Ecuador has been struck by a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that has left dozens dead and hundreds injured. The epicentre was near the northern coastal town of Muisne, but the effects were felt hundreds of kilometres away, including in the capital, Quito, and second city, Guayaquil. People in Ecuador have been contacting BBC News with their stories. 'We could see the electricity lines shaking' - Cristian Ibarra Santillan in Quito We've had lots of small tremors over the last few months, so I thought it was just another one of those to start with, which is why I was slow to react.
When I heard people yelling, children crying and dogs barking, I realised it wasn't. I grabbed my dog and hid under the table. Image copyright Cristian Ibarra Santillan So I grabbed my dog and ran out into the street. I've gone back to my apartment now. They are saying this is the worst quake since 1979 to strike the country. 'I only was thinking "God, please stop that"'- Carla Perralta in Boyaca. Ecuador earthquake: 'We felt it for several minutes' Today's Earthquakes in Ecuador. Ecuador has had: (M1.5 or greater) 8 earthquakes today 9 earthquakes in the past 7 days 10 earthquakes in the past month 53 earthquakes in the past year The largest earthquake in Ecuador: Earthquake Alerts via Twitter: Use two fingers to move the map Map Data Map data ©2016 Google, INEGI Imagery ©2016 TerraMetrics Map DataMap data ©2016 Google, INEGI Imagery ©2016 TerraMetrics Map Satellite 4.5 magnitude earthquake Today about 2 hours ago at 05:42 April 17, 2016 UTC Location: Epicenter at 0.274, -80.427 47.2 km from Pedernales (29.2 miles) Near Coast Of Ecuador Depth: 10 km 4.8 magnitude earthquake Today about 3 hours ago at 04:02 April 17, 2016 UTC Location: Epicenter at -0.259, -80.631 44.2 km from Bahía de Caráquez (27.2 miles) Today about 4 hours ago at 03:05 April 17, 2016 UTC Location: Epicenter at 0.313, -80.252 34.2 km from Pedernales (21.2 miles) Today about 5 hours ago at 02:18 April 17, 2016 UTC Location: Epicenter at -0.297, -80.337 34.2 km from Bahía de Caráquez (21.2 miles) Depth: 27 km.
Ecuador earthquake: 77 people killed, hundreds injured. The magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Saturday night, Vice President Jorge Glas said in a televised address. Nearly 600 people were injured, he said, adding that the death toll is expected to go up as more information comes in. A state of emergency is in effect for six provinces, but Glas urged those who left their homes in coastal areas to return, as the tsunami alert had been lifted. Provinces under a state of emergency are Guayas, Manabi, Santo Domingo, Los Rios, Esmeraldas and Galapagos. Nightlife venues closed Hours after the earthquake, the nation's soccer federation said it has suspended the remaining matches of the current round of the Ecuadorean championship. The interior ministry also ordered all nightlife venues in affected areas closed for the next 72 hours. All mobile operators are allowing free text messages for customers to reach out to loved ones in Manabi and Esmeraldas provinces, the vice president said.
Body recovered CNN Map Some areas in the city lost power. Japan quakes. At least 41 dead as powerful earthquake hits Ecuador. In pictures: Ecuador earthquake. The moment a 7.8 magnitude quake struck Ecuador. Ecuador earthquake of 7.8 magnitude kills dozens. Dozens killed as magnitude 7.8 earthquake hits Ecuador. Ecuador’s strongest earthquake in decades, a 7.8 magnitude tremor, struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday, killing at least 41 people and causing damage near the epicentre as well as in the largest city of Guayaquil. President Rafael Correa declared a national emergency and urged the nation’s 16 million people to stay calm. “Our infinite love to the families of the dead,” he said on Twitter, while cutting short a trip to Italy to return home. The government recommended residents leave coastal areas over concern for rising tides following the quake. Alarmed residents streamed into the streets of the capital Quito, hundreds of kilometres away, and other towns across the nation.
The government said the death toll would likely rise and damages were “serious”, especially in the western coastal areas nearest the quake and in Guayaquil. The country’s Geophysics Institute in a bulletin described “considerable damage” in the area of the epicenter and in Guayaquil, without providing further details.