The death toll in the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador’s Guavas province rose to 14, Ecuadorian authorities said on Saturday.
The earthquake was felt in almost all the provinces of the country, but there were a greater number of reports coming from the provinces of Guayas, Pichincha, Azuay and El Oro, especially from the cities of Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca, the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School said.
According to the Ecuadorian Risk Management Secretariat, another 381 were injured after the quake. Among those killed were 11 in El Oro province and one in Azuay province. Some injured have been treated in hospitals, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said during the establishment of the National Emergency Response Committee in Guayaquil, capital of Guavas, to assess and determine immediate response measures.
The earthquake occurred at 12:12 p.m. Local time on Saturday (1712 GMT) at a depth of 44 km and 29.12 km from the city of Balao in the province of Guayas , according to the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School, and was felt in 13 of the 24 provinces of Ecuador.
The Risk Management Secretariat initially reported four deaths, in addition to material damage to homes, health centers, educational institutions, and public or private property.
President Lasso announced that the Ministry of Housing will provide assistance to rebuild the affected homes, while the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion will provide assistance to the victims.
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