QUITO: A
powerful earthquake killed at least 77 people, injured hundreds more, ravaged
coastal towns and sent residents fleeing for higher ground in Ecuador on
Saturday night.
The
7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Ecuador’s Pacific coast and was felt
hundreds of miles (km) away in the capital of Quito as well as in the large
commercial city of Guayaquil, where rubble lay strewn in the streets and some
buildings were cracked or partially collapsed.
A
bridge in the city collapsed on top of car, crushing it. The earthquake was
Ecuador’s worst in decades and officials said the death toll was likely to rise
even higher as rescue teams headed into the hardest-hit areas.
“It
was terrifying, we were all scared and we’re still out in the streets because
we’re worried about aftershocks,” said Guayaquil security guard Fernando
Garcia. “Everything is damaged.” A state of emergency was declared in six
provinces.
The
areas worst affected include Pedernales, which draws tourists with beaches
lined with palm-trees and tropical thatch-hut restaurants, as well as nearby
Cojimies. “There are villages that are totally devastated,” Pedernales’ mayor,
Gabriel Alcivar, said in a radio interview. “What happened here in Pedernales
is catastrophic.”
Ramon
Solorzano, 46, a car parts merchant in the city of Manta, said he was getting
ready to leave the city with his family. “Most people are out in the streets
with backpacks on,heading for higher ground,” he said, speaking in a trembling
voice via a WhatsApp phone call.
“The
streets are cracked. The power is out and phones are down.” The quake struck at
a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles), and was followed by 55 aftershocks. President
Rafael Correa declared a national emergency and cut short a trip to the Vatican
to coordinate the rescue efforts.
“Everything
can be rebuilt, but lost lives cannot be recovered, and that’s what hurts the
most,” he told Ecuador’s state television channel from Rome. “The material part
is the least important, what is fundamental is guaranteeing human life.”
Parts
of the capital were without power or telephone service for several hours,
though the city government said that services were quickly restored and that
there were no reports of casualties in the city.
The
government described it as the worst quake in the country since 1979, when 600
people were killed and 20,000 injured, according to the United States
Geological Survey.
A
tsunami warning was lifted on Saturday night but coastal residents were
encouraged to seek higher ground in case tides rise.
The
OPEC nation’s oil production was not affected by the quake but that the
principal refinery of Esmeraldas, located near the epicenter, had been halted
as a precaution.
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