According to the officials, a severe earthquake hit Peru and Ecuador on Saturday, leaving at least 14 people dead, several injured, and building destroyed.
The US Geopolitical Survey reported an earthquake of about 6.8 near Ecuador’s coastal Guayas region. The quake’s epicentre was located around 80 Km south of Guayaquil, the country’s second-largest city and the hub of a metro area with more than three million inhabitants.
One person perished in Peru, while 13 others died in Ecuador, where police also stated that at least 126 people were injured.
Guillermo Lasso, president of Ecuador, posted a tweet urging people to keep “calm and to be informed through official channels” of building damage.
Peruvian seismological authorities initially reported a magnitude of 7.0. However, this was later changed to a magnitude of 6.7.
According to Hernando Tavera, director of Peru’s National Seismological Center, “there is no serious damage to the structure or people” in the nation.
