On Saturday, a strong earthquake struck Ecuador’s second largest city. It killed at least four people and damaged homes and buildings. Residents panicked and fled to the streets.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there was a earthquake of magnitude 6.7 in Guayas’ coastal region. It was located approximately 50 miles south-east of Guayaquil which is home to a metropolis of more than 3 million people.
Solange Coyago was about to leave her apartment for lunch when she noticed that the windows were shaking and the lights started moving very fast.
She said that she was “really scared” to “NBC Nightly News.” “Everyone outside was on the streets… [it] was really difficult moment.”
Coyago stated that she suffered a panic attack after the earthquake had stopped.
“Everything in me was blind.” She said, “I started shaking.”
President Guillermo Lasso sent a tweet asking residents to keep calm.
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One person was reported to have died in Cuenca, South America’s emergency management agency, the Risk Management Secretariat. The victim was a passenger in the vehicle that was trapped beneath the house’s rubble. The agency also reported that three other people were killed in El Oro’s coastal state.
Authorities reported cracks in buildings and homes in Guayaquil (170 miles southwest) of Quito. Also, there were collapsed walls. Three vehicular tunnels were closed by authorities.
Social media videos show that people congregated on streets in Guayaquil, and other nearby communities. People reported that objects fell into their homes.
Coyago stated that her apartment was not damaged, but nearby buildings have collapsed.
She said that the police officers were telling her to stay away from here as they are going to bring down the street every second. “Right now the streets are shut down, some of them.”
A video uploaded online showed three anchors from a show running from their desk while the set shakes. The anchors initially attempted to dismiss the shaking as a minor earthquake, but quickly fled from camera. The anchor said that the show would be on a commercial break while another one repeated, “My God! My God!”
Machala’s pier was destroyed. In northern Peru, the earthquake was felt as well.
Associated Press contributed.
