12 Killed, 1 Injured After Earthquake Of Magnitude 6.8 Strikes Ecuador

At least 12 people died after an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude hit southern Ecuador on Saturday afternoon, CNN reported citing government officials. According to Ecuador's presidency, one person was left wounded and buildings were damaged due to the earthquake.  "So far, 12 deaths are reported (11 in the province of El Oro and one in the province of Azuay)," the presidency said in a tweet.

According to Ecuador's communications department for President, 11 people were killed in the province of El Oro and one person died in the province of Azuay. "Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.7 - 6 km NNE of Balao, Ecuador," United States Geological Survey Earthquake tweeted.

Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.7 - 6 km NNE of Baláo, Ecuador https://t.co/w577YHB2DP

— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) March 18, 2023

In an earlier statement, authorities said the person in Azuay was killed when a wall collapsed onto a car and that at least three of the victims in El Oro died when a security camera tower came down, reported CNN. People who were injured were being treated at hospitals, the Presidency added, but did not provide further details.

The USGS gave the tremor an "orange alert", saying "significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread." "Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response," the USGS added. It also estimated damage and economic losses were possible, as per the report in CNN.

An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 hit 6 km South-West of the Goksun district on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicentre of the earthquake was found to be 37.974°N and 36.448°E respectively at a depth of 7 kilometres. As per the USGS, the earthquake took place at 10:44:29 (UTC+05:30).