Ecuador earthquake kills at least 12 and causes widespread damage to homes and buildings | World News

At least 12 people have died after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the area around Ecuador’s second largest city, Guayaquil.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake was centered about 50 miles (80 km) south of the city of Guayaquil, and could be felt as far north as Peru.

Inner city dwellers – located about 170 miles (270km) southwest of Ecuadorthe capital of Quito – reports that objects have fallen into their home during the earthquake.

Footage shared on social media shows panicked residents rushing to the streets.

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso tweeted a message urging residents to stay calm before announcing that the disaster had killed 12 people.

Ecuador’s emergency response agency, the Risk Management Secretariat, said one person had died in Cuenca’s Andean community.

The victim is believed to be a passenger in a vehicle that was trapped under a collapsed house.

Three people died and several others were trapped in rubble in the coastal state of El Oro.

In the community of Machala, several people were trapped in a two-story house after it collapsed.

A pier also sank in Machala.

Rescue work was more difficult because power lines were cut, affecting telephones and electricity.

A clip posted online shows three TV presenters rushing out of their desks as everything around them begins to shake.

One host suggested the show would go into a commercial break, while another repeated: “My God, my God.”

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A report from the Adverse Events Monitoring Board ruled out a tsunami threat in the South American country.

Earthquake-prone Ecuador: In 2016, more than 600 people were killed in an earthquake centered in a more sparsely populated area of ​​the country north on the Pacific Coast.