A strong earthquake that hit Peru and Ecuador on Saturday left at least 12 people dead, one injured, and buildings damaged, according to Ecuador’s presidency.
Cities like Machala and Cuenca in Ecuador saw destroyed structures, crushed cars, and debris as rescue workers rushed to offer assistance as terrified locals fled into the streets.
The earthquake occurred around 12:12 local time, with a magnitude of 6.8 and a depth of roughly 41 miles (66 kilometers), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) (1712 GMT).
According to authorities, it had its epicenter close to the Peruvian border in the municipality of Balao in Ecuador.
“I went out into the street because I saw people starting to run in panic, getting out of their cars,” Magaly Escandon, a sewing supplies saleswoman in Cuenca, told AFP.
“So far, 12 deaths are reported (11 in the province of El Oro and one in the province of Azuay),” Ecuador’s presidency said in a tweet.
According to reports, the tremor was also felt powerfully in nearby cities like as Guayaquil, Quito, Manabi, and Manta.
Peru, where the quake seems to have been less powerful, has not yet been reported to have suffered any fatalities or significant damage.
Guillermo Lasso, president of Ecuador, asked citizens to keep “calm and to be informed through official channels” on building damage.
The risk management office in Quito reports that a house’s facade crumbled in Cuenca, crushing a car and leaving “a deceased person” behind. Many residences in the historic center of the city were damaged.
Three people were reported deceased nearby in the province of El Oro after a tower collapsed and severely crushed them.
The magnitude was initially listed as 7.0 by Peruvian seismological authorities, but was later revised to 6.7.
According to Hernando Tavera, director of Peru’s National Seismological Center, “there is no significant damage to the structure or people” in the nation.
In Balao, Ecuador, a first aftershock with a magnitude of 4.8 was registered. There is no tsunami threat, according to the navy of Ecuador.
