Death toll in Ecuador quake rises to 646 still going up

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Dozens of casualties, massive destruction in Ecuador struck by 7.8 quake

At least 77 people have been killed and 588 injured in a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the Ecuador coast. The quake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks. The disaster has ravaged coastal towns and left thousands of households without power.

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QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades flattened buildings and buckled highways along the country's Pacific coast, sending the Andean nation into a state of emergency. As rescue workers rushed in, officials said Sunday at least 77 people were killed, over 570 injured and the damage stretched for hundreds of miles to the capital and other major cities.

The magnitude-7.8 quake was centered on Ecuador's sparsely populated fishing ports and tourist beaches, 170 kilometers (105 miles) northwest of Quito, the capital.

Vice President Jorge Glas gave the updated death toll early Sunday at a press conference. Late Saturday, he said there were reports of deaths in the cities of Manta, Portoviejo and Guayaquil — all several hundred kilometers (miles) from where the quake struck shortly after nightfall.

Police look at a car crushed under a collapsed overpass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Saturday April 16, 2016. The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades flattened buildings and buckled highways along the country's coast, killing at least 41 people and causing damage hundreds of miles (kilometers) away from the epicenter in the capital and other major cities.(AP Photo/Jeff Castro)

"We're trying to do the most we can but there's almost nothing we can do," said Gabriel Alcivar, mayor of Pedernales, a town of 40,000 near the quake's epicenter. He pleaded for authorities to send earth-moving machines and emergency rescue workers as dozens of buildings in the town were flattened, trapping residents among the rubble. He said looting broke out amid the chaos but authorities were too busy trying to save lives to assert order.

"This wasn't just a house that collapsed, it was an entire town," he said.

President Rafael Correa signed a decree declaring a national emergency and rushed home from a visit to Rome. He urged Ecuadoreans to stay strong while authorities handle the disaster and hoped to be back in the country by Sunday afternoon.

The quake was the strongest to hit Ecuador since 1979, Glas said. On social media, photos circulated of homes reduced to rubble, a shopping center's roof torn apart, supermarket shelves shaking violently and a collapsed highway overpass that crushed a car. In Manta, the airport was closed after the control tower collapsed, injuring an air traffic control worker and a security guard.

In the capital Quito, people fled into the streets in fear as the quake shook their buildings. It knocked out electricity in several neighborhoods and six homes collapsed but after a few hours power was being restored, Quito's Mayor Mauricio Rodas said.

"I'm in a state of panic," said Zoila Villena, one of many Quito residents who congregated in the streets. "My building moved a lot and things fell to the floor. Lots of neighbors were screaming and kids crying."

More than 10,000 security forces were being mobilized to provide assistance but Glas said accessing the disaster zone was difficult due to landslides.

Among those killed was the driver of a car crushed by an overpass that buckled in Guayaquil, the country's most populous city. The city's international airport was also briefly closed. Hydroelectric dams and oil pipelines in the OPEC-member nation were shut down as a precautionary measure but so far hadn't reported any damage.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves were possible for some coasts. While the government hadn't issued a tsunami alert, towns near the epicenter were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Glas later said it was safe for coastal residents to return to their homes.

An emergency situation was declared in six of Ecuador's 24 provinces, while sports events and concerts were cancelled until further notice nationwide.

"It's very important that Ecuadoreans remain calm during this emergency," Glas said from Ecuador's national crisis room.

The USGS originally put the quake at a magnitude of 7.4 then raised it to 7.8. It had a depth of 19 kilometers (12 miles). At least 36 aftershocks followed, one as strong as 6 on the Richter scale, and authorities urged residents to brace for even stronger ones in the coming hours and days.

The quake comes on the heels of two deadly earthquakes across the Pacific, in the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck Thursday near Kumamoto, followed by a magnitude-7.3 earthquake just 28 hours later. The quakes have killed 41 people and injured about 1,500, flattened houses and triggered major landslides.

Thousands of rescue workers searched a debris-strewn village in southern Japan for about a half-dozen missing people Sunday, as U.S. military aircraft rushed to join the relief mission.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/art ... -rise.html

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Earthquake Hits Ecuador: More Than 70 Killed

A 7.8-magnitude quake has struck the central coast of Ecuador killing dozens of people and trapping many others.

At least 77 people have been confirmed dead so far, with another 578 people injured, Vice President Jorge Glas wrote on Twitter.

Authorities say the powerful quake has caused "considerable damage" near the epicentre as well as in the country's biggest city of Guayaquil and knocked out power in much of the capital Quito.

A state of emergency had been declared nationwide.

A tsunami alert was issued but was later lifted.

Hydroelectric dams and oil pipelines in the OPEC-member nation have been shut down as a precautionary measure.

In Pedernales, a town of 40,000 near the epicentre, dozens of buildings have been flattened, people are trapped and looting has broken out amid the chaos.

Mayor Gabriel Alcivar, who has pleaded for rescuers, said: "This wasn't just a house that collapsed, it was an entire town."

At Guayaquil airport passengers awaiting flights ran out of terminals when they felt the tremor.

"Lights fell down from the ceiling. People were running around in shock," said Luis Quimis, 30, who was waiting to catch a flight to Quito.

Maria Torres, 60, in northern Quito, said: "Oh, my God, it was the biggest and strongest earthquake I have felt in my whole life. It lasted a long time, and I was feeling dizzy. I couldn't walk... I wanted to run out into the street, but I couldn't."

Among those killed was the driver of a car crushed by an overpass that buckled in Guayaquil.

President Rafael Correa, who is on a visit to the Vatican, called on Ecuadoreans to show strength while authorities monitor events.

The quake was the strongest to hit Ecuador in decades.

It struck at around 8pm local time on Saturday about 173km west-northwest of Quito and just 28km south-southeast of Muisne, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake also rattled northern Peru, according to authorities.

Across the Pacific in Japan, a 7.3 magnitude tremor struck Kumamoto province on Saturday, killing at least 32 people and causing widespread damage, in the second major quake to hit the island of Kyushu in just over 24 hours.

http://news.sky.com/story/1680005/earth ... -70-killed

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Ecuador earthquake of 7.8 magnitude kills dozens - BBC News
Media captionAmateur video shows the moment the earthquake struck

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Ecuador has killed at least 77 people and injured more than 500, Vice-President Jorge Glas says.

The quake, Ecuador's largest since 1979, hit at 18:58 on Saturday (23:58 GMT) near the northern town of Muisne.

Widespread severe damage is reported, with a bridge destroyed as far south as Guayaquil about 300km (190 miles) away.

President Rafael Correa, who is flying back from a trip to Italy, has decreed a state of emergency.

He said: "This is a very painful test. I ask the country to be calm and united... Let's be strong; we will overcome this."

He added: "Roads and hospitals can be rebuilt; you cannot recover lost lives. That's what hurts the most."

Mr Glas said that at least 77 people had died and 588 had been injured, adding that the figures could rise as a number of affected areas had not yet been reached.

He called for calm, particularly in the city of Portoviejo, amid reports of a "lack of public order".

Gabriel Alcivar, mayor of the town of Pedernale, which is close to the epicentre, said: "We're trying to do the most we can but there's almost nothing we can do."

He said dozens of buildings had been flattened and looting had broken out.

"This wasn't just a house that collapsed, it was an entire town," Mr Alcivar said.

Carla Peralto, a resident of Boyaca, one of the worst-affected areas, told the BBC: "I never felt something like that in my life. It was so strong. I was feeling very, very scared... I was thinking 'God, please stop that because maybe I die today'."

Serious damage was also reported in the city of Manta, with an airport tower among the buildings destroyed.

Manta resident Ramon Solorzano told Reuters: "Most people are out in the streets with backpacks on, heading for higher ground. The streets are cracked. The power is out and phones are down."

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at a fairly shallow depth of 19.2km (11.9 miles), about 27km from Muisne in a sparsely populated area.
Media captionStephan Kuffner, who lives in Quito, says he felt the vibrations for minutes after the quake struck
Media captionA man was killed when his car was crushed beneath a collapsed bridge in Guayaquil

There have been a number of aftershocks, the biggest at 5.4.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has now issued a message saying that the threat of a tsunami has now mostly passed and that any remaining risk should be evaluated by local authorities.

However, it earlier said tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to one metre above the tide level were possible for some coasts of Ecuador. Any damage that had occurred might not be visible until daylight.

Quito resident Cristian Ibarra Santillan told the BBC he grabbed his dog and hid under a table, but when he realised the quake "wasn't going away and that I might be found here if the worst happened" he ran out into the street.

"We could see the electricity lines shaking - in other parts of the city, they've collapsed."

Reports say a big oil refinery has been temporarily shut as a precautionary measure.

Neighbouring Peru had also issued a tsunami alert for its northern coastline.

The quake was felt in Colombia, where patients in a clinic in the city of Cali were evacuated from the building as a precautionary measure.

Ecuador is well used to earthquakes. There have been seven 7.0 magnitude or greater events within 250km of this latest tremor since 1900. And some of these have resulted in very considerable loss of life, not just from the shaking but also from tsunami waves.

The country sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire" - the arc of high seismic activity that extends right around the Pacific basin. At its location, Ecuador fronts the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates.

These are vast slabs of the Earth's surface that grind past each other at a rate of about 65mm per year. The Nazca plate, which makes up the Pacific Ocean floor in this region, is being pulled down (subducted) and under the South American coast.

It is a process that has helped build the Andes and Ecuador's many volcanoes, including the mighty Chimborazo.

Models that try to forecast the likely casualty numbers from the nature of the quake and local building construction methods indicate this event could be very serious, with the number of deaths running into the hundreds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-36065551

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Death toll near doubles - 142 dead, 588 injured says vice president

Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas has told a press conference at least 142 people have been killed and 588 injured as a result of the earthquake, local media are reporting.

The new toll almost doubles the previous figure given by authorities a few hours ago, which was 77. More than 260 buildings have also been destroyed, the vice president said.

Glas, who is leading the response in the absence of president Rafael Correa, said the government had activated a $300m emergency fun to help victims and rescue efforts.

Mobile phone operators have suspended charges for text messages, to make it easier for people to contact loved ones.

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Earthquake kills 233 in Ecuador, devastates coast zone

The death toll from Ecuador's biggest earthquake in decades soared to at least 233 on Sunday as rescuers using tractors and bare hands hunted desperately for survivors in shattered coastal towns.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday and was felt around the Andean nation of 16 million people, causing panic as far away as the highland capital Quito and collapsing buildings and roads in a swath of western towns.

President Rafael Correa, rushing home from a trip to Italy, said the number of fatalities jumped on Sunday to 233.

"The immediate priority is to rescue people in the rubble," he said via Twitter. "Everything can be rebuilt, but lives cannot be recovered, and that's what hurts the most."

More than 1,500 people were injured, authorities said.

Coastal areas nearest the quake were worst affected, especially Pedernales, a rustic tourist spot with beaches and palm trees, which appeared largely flattened.

"There are people trapped in various places, and we are starting rescue operations," Vice President Jorge Glas said on Sunday morning before boarding a plane to the area.

A state of emergency was declared in six provinces.

Authorities said there had been 163 aftershocks, mainly in the Pedernales area.

PEDERNALES 'DESTROYED'

One photo on social media purporting to be the entrance to Pedernales showed a torn-up road with a crushed car in the middle and people standing behind.

Local TV station Televicentro broadcast images from Pedernales showing locals using a small tractor to remove rubble and also searching with their hands for people buried underneath.

Women cried after a corpse was pulled out. Locals said children were trapped.

One man begged for help: "Pedernales is destroyed."

Many people spent the night on the streets.

In Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, rubble lay in the streets and a bridge fell on top of a car.

"It was horrible, it was as if it was going to collapse like cardboard," said Galo Valle, 56, who was guarding a building in the city where windows fell out and parts of walls broke.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuad ... SKCN0XE009

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Death toll 235 and expected to rise - many still trapped

The death toll from Ecuador's biggest earthquake in decades soared to at least 235 on Sunday as rescuers using tractors and bare hands hunted desperately for survivors in shattered coastal towns.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday and was felt around the Andean nation of 16 million people, causing panic as far away as the highland capital Quito and collapsing buildings and roads in a swath of western towns.

President Rafael Correa rushed home from a trip to Italy to supervise the emergency. "The immediate priority is to rescue people in the rubble," he said. "Everything can be rebuilt, but lives cannot be recovered, and that's what hurts the most."

Visiting the quake zone, Vice President Jorge Glas said 235 had died and more than 1,500 people were injured.

Coastal areas nearest the epicenter were worst affected, especially Pedernales, a rustic tourist spot with beaches and palm trees, which appeared largely flattened.

"There are people trapped in various places, and we are starting rescue operations," Glas said.

Authorities said there were 163 aftershocks, mainly in the Pedernales area. A state of emergency was declared in six provinces.

The quake has piled pain on the economy of OPEC's smallest member, already reeling from low oil prices, with economic growth this year projected at near-zero. It has also propelled Glas - a possible candidate in Ecuador's February 2017 presidential election - into the limelight.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuad ... SKCN0XE009

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Ecuador authorities still looking for survivors in the rubble after massive earthquake

The death toll in Ecuador continued to rise on Monday, jumping from 232 to at least 350 fatalities after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on Saturday evening.

Those injured have amounted to over 2,500, and more people are thought to be trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Emergency services and their search dogs were still working furiously on Monday to find survivors, while thousands of people were sleeping overnight in temporary shelters or outside.

The deadly quake struck at 7pm on Saturday, 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) southeast of the coastal town of Muisne, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - an area full of fishing ports and popular with tourists.

President Rafael Correa rushed back from Rome and Vice President Jorge Glas was on the scene within hours, urging Ecuadoreans to “stay strong”.

Authorities deployed 10,000 soldiers and 4,600 police officers to the affected regions, setting up temporary hospitals and shelters.

Wet weather, mountainous terrain and a lack of water and communication were all complicating the rescue operation for workers.

“The first hours are crucial,” President Rafael Correa said on Sunday night. “We're finding signs of life in the rubble. We're giving this priority. After, we'll work to find and recover bodies.”

The hardest hit area was the coastal Manabi Province, where about 200 people died, according to Ricardo Peñaherrera of Ecuador's national emergency management office.

Fernando, who lives in Quito, told The Independent he was just about to head to a party with his wife when the tremors started, and they stood beneath a doorframe.

“It felt pretty strong and lasted longer than usual, like for a minute or more. Then immediately it was impossible to call anyone, all the lines were down,” he said. “I’ve felt several quakes in my life. This time I could only compare it to my time in California, the earthquake in 1989."

In Ecuador, it was the deadliest to hit since March 1987, when a 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed 1,000 people, according to the USGS.

Fernando's friend, Bernarda V., who lives just south of Manta, one of the hardest hit areas, told him she was safe, as were her parents in a nearby town. She had to walk home along the beach as the roads were damaged.

“We still have no electricity and the cell phone lines are still congested,” she said in an email.

All six coastal provinces - Guayas, Manabi, Santo Domingo, Los Rios, Esmeraldas and Galapagos - have been declared states of emergency.

Pedernales, the location of the quake's epicenter, was mostly destroyed, a fishing town where many people built their own homes out of cement blocks that were vulnerable to shaking.

Neighboring countries including Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela and Peru, as well as Spain, sent people to help the rescue and aid, while the US Secretary of State John Kerry said the US will help “in any way they can”.

David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences at The Open University, said the earthquake’s epicenter was onshore, which meant there was little chance that a tsunami would follow.

Japan also suffered two earthquakes on Thursday and Saturday, killing dozens, and 250,000 people have been told to evacuate in case of further shocks. The quakes are apparently not connected to that in Ecuador, according to Mr Rothery.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 90256.html

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UPDATE:

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.

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Ecuador quake death toll rises to 577, President announces urgent economic measures

The death toll from the earthquake that hit Ecuador on April 16 has risen to 577, according to the latest official figures, with some 100 people still unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, President Rafael Correa announced the adoption of urgent economic measures aimed at raising the funds necessary to rebuild affected areas. They include increasing the Value Added Tax (VAT) by two percent for one year, a one-time income tax hike of 3 percent, and a one-time tax of 0.9 percent to be collected from individuals with incomes exceeding $1 million dollars, as well as the contribution of a sum equivalent to one day’s wages from those earning more than $1,000 a month.

On Tuesday, Correa said the losses caused by the devastating earthquake are enormous. “I estimate roughly 3 percent of gross domestic product, and that means it will take years to rebuild the economy. It’s a long fight, so I invite you not to lose heart,” he said after a meeting with ministers in Portoviejo, one of the hardest hit regions, according to Andes news agency.

[Anthea]

6.0 quake strikes Ecuador amid recovery efforts

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Ecuador, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has reported. The new tremblor comes just days after a devastating 7.8 quake killed at least 587 people in the South American country and amid internationally-assisted recovery efforts.

The earthquake was centered some 33.0 kilometers (20.5 miles) north-northwest of Bahia de Caraquez and some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the city of Portoviejo. It hit at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The latest tremblor came just days after a strong 7.8 magnitude quake hit the country on Saturday, whose death toll has already climbed to over 580 victims, the government reported on Thursday. With 155 people still unaccounted for, the death toll is expected to rise even further, however. The damage to the country’s infrastructure appears unprecedented, with over 23,500 people left without homes. The quake was followed by two aftershocks of 6.1 and 6.3 magnitudes. The country’s president, Rafael Correa, said that the damages inflicted by the disaster are estimated at a staggering $3 billion. He has consequently announced plans to raise taxes in order to rebuild the affected areas.

https://www.rt.com/news/340560-ecuador- ... very-toll/

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Death toll in Ecuador quake rises to 646

Nearly 650 people died in last week’s devastating earthquake in Ecuador, the country’s President Rafael Correa said on Saturday during his regular weekend TV broadcast, Reuters reported. The 7.8 magnitude quake was the worst in nearly seven decades. It has been followed by over 700 aftershocks, which are expected to continue for several more weeks.

Around 12,500 people were injured during the major tremor, and 130 are still missing. “The country is in crisis,” the President said on Saturday, who has previously estimated the damage at up to $3 billion. Thousands of people are living in shelters, as some 7,000 buildings were destroyed in the disaster. The government is currently working on implementing a number of economic measures to help fund reconstruction.