Earthquake kills at least 14 and injures more than 400 in Ecuador and Peru

A powerful earthquake left at least 14 dead, several injured and significant damage on Saturday March 18 in southern Ecuador and neighboring Peru, according to an official report. The American Seismological Institute USGS specified that its magnitude had reached 6.8. Despite the power of the earthquake, the tremor “does not meet the conditions likely to generate a tsunami” in the Pacific, according to the Oceanographic and Antarctic Institute of the Ecuadorian Navy.

The Ecuadorian presidency reported on Twitter 14 dead, including 12 in El Oro province and two in Azuay province. In the Peruvian city of Tumbes (Peru), bordering Ecuador, a 4-year-old girl died, hit in the head by a falling brick, according to an official report. The earthquake also made “446 injured”said the Ecuadorian presidency, adding that 180 homes are also affected.

The tremor, which caused significant material damage, occurred at 12:12 p.m. (6:12 p.m. Paris time) with an epicenter in the town of Balao, at a depth of 44 km, according to the authorities. The earthquake caused panic among residents, who took to the streets. Buildings collapsed in several cities, including Cuenca, where old houses were damaged, AFP journalists reported.