Death Toll Rises To 41 In Ecuador
41 casualties reported dead in Ecuador due to the earthquake which struck off the pacific coasts on Saturday. 7.8 Magnitude struck around 0100GMT at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles), near the epicenter as well as in the largest city of Guayaquil in Ecuador. People also have been evacuated in the area due to rising tides.
President Rafael Correa declared state of emergency a short while ago and relief services are underway in Guayaquil. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meter (one to three feet) above tide level were possible for some coastal areas of Ecuador. State officials said the OPEC nation’s oil production was not affected by the quake but that the principal refinery of Esmeraldas, located near the epicenter, had been halted as a precaution. Across the Pacific in Japan, a 7.3 magnitude tremor struck Kumamoto province early Saturday, killing at least 32 people, injuring about a thousand and causing widespread damage, in the second major quake to hit the island of Kyushu in just over 24 hours. The first, late on Thursday, killed nine.
FAQs