Big aftershock rocks Ecuador
Print Edition
A powerful magnitude-6.7 aftershock early yesterday rattled Ecuador near the Pacific coast area where a devastating earthquake hit a month ago, knocking out power and scaring still-traumatized residents as they slept but only limited damage was reported.
The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was 35 kilometers from the town of Muisne. It struck shortly before 3am local time and had a shallow depth of 32 kilometers below the earth’s surface.
President Rafael Correa said there was no tsunami alert and called on residents in Quito, where some residents poured into the streets, to return to their homes. The quake was strong enough to trigger a national disaster alert, but Correa deactivated the emergency response a few hours later when local authorities reported the situation was calm.
“These sort of aftershocks are normal but that doesn’t mean they’re not scary and can cause damage,” Correa said in a TV address, adding that aftershocks of this magnitude were normal for up to two months after a major quake.
The president said that while some previously ravaged homes suffered more damage, most had already been evacuated and no buildings had collapsed. There were no reports of fatalities, he said.
Security coordination minister Cesar Navas said one person was injured when a wall fell and five others were hurt in panicky efforts to flee buildings.
The magnitude-7.8 earthquake on April 16 was Ecuador’s worst natural disaster in decades, killing 661 and leaving more than 28,000 people homeless. It has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks, at least five of them of magnitude 6.0 or higher.
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