The President Postpones his Vatican Trip as Ecuador tries to cope with the destruction caused by the worst Ecuador earthquake in decades.
A powerful earthquake hit Ecuador and killed at least 249 people. Scores of other were also injured. The quake destroyed the towns on the coast. On the night of Saturday, people of these towns fled their houses and moved towards higher ground.
The South America earthquake was of 7.8 magnitude on rector scale. Its epicenter was Ecuador’s Pacific coast and its tremors were felt more than hundreds of kilometers inside Quito and Guayaquil.
Cracks appeared in some building and rubble was also found lying in streets. Partial collapse of some structures was also witnessed. A bridge in the city also went down.
The Ecuador earthquake is the worst to hit the country in many years. Officials have also stated fears that the death toll could rise after rescue teams had carried out their work in the areas that have been hardest hit by the earthquake.
Eyewitnesses have described the Ecuador earthquake as a terrifying experience. Scared people spend the night in the streets owing to the fears of aftershocks. Witnesses have also said that everything had been damaged.
Pedernales is the area that has been worst affected by the Ecuador earthquake. It is a town situated on the coast of Ecuador. It is a big tourist attraction and features many beaches with hut-restaurants.
The mayor of Perameles, Gabriel Alcivar has said during an interview that it was a catastrophe. The villages have all been completely destroyed.
Another eyewitness stated that when he came out of the house after the quake, he saw that many people were out on the street heading towards higher areas. The eyewitness also said that there were cracks in the streets, phones were not working and there was no electricity either.The Ecuador earthquake struck at 20 kilometer depth. It was followed by more than 50 aftershocks.
A national emergency has been declared in Ecuador. The President also postponed his visit to the Vatican so that he could oversee the rescue efforts being carried out in the country. President Rafael Correa declared a national emergency and cut short a trip to the Vatican to coordinate the rescue efforts.
