Guwahati: Ecuador and Peru were rocked by a violent earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale that resulted in at least 14 fatalities, structural damage to homes and buildings and frightened residents running into the streets.
When rescue workers hurried to help and terrified residents fled their homes and places of business to seek cover in safe places, images of ruined buildings, crushed automobiles and rubble and damaged highways in cities surfaced online.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 12:12 local time (1712 GMT) and had a depth of about 66 km.
The commune of Balao in Ecuador which is near to the Peruvian border, was said by authorities to be its epicentre.
According to reports on social media, the tremor was also felt strongly in other cities like Guayaquil, Quito, Manabi and Manta.
In a Twitter message, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso urged people to remain calm and be informed of building damage “through official channels.”
A four-year-old child was reported deceased in Peru as a result of a wall collapsing and falling on her after the earthquake.
According to the Quito Risk Management Office, Cuenca received “a deceased victim” after a home facade fell on a car.
According to AFP journalists, old homes in the city’s historic district had also sustained damage.
In the neighbouring province of El Oro, three individuals were reportedly murdered when a tower collapsed and crushed them.
Hours after the first magnitude of 7.0 was announced by Peruvian seismic officials, it was downgraded to 6.7.
“There is no significant damage to the structure or people” in Peru, according to Hernando Tavera, head of the National Seismological Center.
Ecuador’s Balao received a magnitude 4.8 first aftershock. According to the Ecuadorian navy, there was no tsunami threat.