6.7 magnitude quake jolts Ecuador

Ecuador received jolts after a powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit the nation on Saturday, according to seismologists. 

The tremors however were also felt as far away as Guayaquil, Machala, and Peru. The earthquake occurred on Saturday at 12:12 pm local time with its epicentre in Azuay Province, 77 kilometres southeast of Guayaquil and 47 kilometres northwest of Cuenca.

According to US Geological Survey (USGS) the earthquake was of a preliminary magnitude 6.7. It was a moderately deep earthquake, striking at a depth of roughly 65 kilometres. The Geophysical Institute of Ecuador estimated a magnitude of 6.5 at a depth of 44 kilometres.

There are no initial reports of harm or casualties. Moreover, there is no threat of a tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Up to 13.5 million people may have felt Saturday’s earthquake, with 5.1 million reporting “strong” to “very strong” shaking, according to computer simulations from the USGS, media reports said. 

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