Magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits Ecuador, at least 14 deaths reported
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An earthquake shakes an area 50 miles south of Ecuador’s second city, Guayaquil, with one death reported so far in northern Peru.
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A car was crushed by debris after an earthquake shook Cuenca, Ecuador, on Saturday. (AP)
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Ecuador and northern Peru, killing at least 15 people, trapping others under rubble, and sending rescuers into streets littered with debris and downed power lines.
The press service of Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso reported at least "fourteen dead, 381 wounded" in the aftermath of the earthquake.
The earthquake hit at a depth of 66.4 km (41.3 miles), about 10 km (6.2 miles) from the city of Balao in the province of Guayas, as per the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Many were trapped under rubble in the coastal region of El Oro, according to Ecuador’s emergency response agency. A two-story home in Machala collapsed before residents could be evacuated, a pier broke way, and the walls of a structure split, trapping an unknown number of people.
The earthquake also inflicted devastation in northern Peru, killing one youngster, according to the RPP (Radio Programas del Peru) broadcaster.
The four-year-old child died on Saturday in the Department of Tumbes, which borders Ecuador, as a consequence of a roof fall, according to RPP, citing local hospital officials.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
