Videos shared on social media show people gathering on the streets of Guayaquil and nearby communitiesA powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador today, with tremors felt as far away as Guayaquil, Machala, and neighboring Peru, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported. The earthquake, which struck at 12:12 p.m. local time on Saturday, was centered in Azuay Province, about 47 kilometers northwest of Cuenca and 77 kilometers southeast of Guayaquil. Videos shared on social media show people gathering on the streets of Guayaquil and nearby communities. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 and struck about 65 kilometers below the surface. Elsewhere, destruction of houses, commercial buildings, power and energy infrastructure, and roads was reported by Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat.

Source: Ethiopian News March 18, 2023 18:34 UTC