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People observe the damage caused by the earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Richter open scale.
Photo: EFE – ROBERT PUGLLA
The number of deaths from the 6.5 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, which was registered this Saturday in the province of Guayas, in the coastal area of Ecuador, rose to 13, according to a preliminary report from the Secretariat for the Management of risks.
Shortly after the 6.5 earthquake – which was felt in 13 of the country’s 24 provinces – another magnitude 4.8 occurred in the same area.
For its part, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that no fatalities of Colombian nationality have been reported: “After the earthquakes that occurred this Saturday, March 18 in Ecuador, no fatalities or injuries of Colombian nationality have been reported. The Colombian consulate in Guayaquil is attentive to any request for assistance or support from the Colombian community due to the telluric movements.
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The Oceanographic Institute of the Navy reported that the earthquake did not meet the necessary conditions to generate a tsunami on the continental and insular coast of the country.
According to the Risk Management Secretariat, there were damages in the cantonal center of the city of Cuenca, province of Azuay, where the facade of a house collapsed on a vehicle from which a deceased person was reported.
On the other hand, in the province of El Oro, on the border with Peru, a two-story house collapsed, leaving people trapped inside, it said in a statement.
Likewise, the collapse of the old cabotage pier, damage to the YAT Club Machala, and the fall of telephone lines, and lack of electricity in several cantons of the province were recorded. In addition, there were cracked walls of a building, where people were trapped.
“In addition, the collapse of the SIS ECU 911 camera tower on Jambelí Island, Santa Rosa canton, has been recorded so far, 3 people have died,” it said in a statement.
In the coastal province of Guayas, there was damage to the masonry of buildings and shopping centers, as well as the collapse of the façade of a supermarket, among other damages. In the Andean province of Chimborazo, a highway was affected after a landslide caused by the earthquake.
The public company Petroecuador confirmed that the facilities of the terminals: Marítimo-Balao, Chorrillos, Monteverde, La Libertad, La Toma Loja Deposit did not register any news. The Esmeraldas-Quito pipeline stopped momentarily as a precaution, but then it operated again without incident.
Likewise, the Pascuales Terminal and LNG Plant, and Terminal 3 Bocas suspended activities and were evacuated as a precaution. No news was reported in the initial balance.
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The airports of Guayaquil and Cuenca operate without news and “the hydrocarbon sector has no news, for the moment,” he noted.
In the preliminary general balance, the Secretariat indicated that there are two homes affected and two destroyed; three educational units and the same number of health centers affected The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, indicated that after the earthquake he convened the National Emergency Committee (COE) this afternoon to address the situation.
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