Powerful earthquake hits Western Ecuador
Thursday, 19/05/2016 16:03 (GMT+7)
An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale struck Rosa Zarate (Western Ecuador) on May 18th, according to the US Geographical Survey.
People in Quito evacuated from their offices when the earthquake occurred. (Photo: Reuters)
The US Geological Survey said that the quake's epicentre was 35 kilometers from the town of Muisne. It struck shortly before 3 am local time and had a shallow depth of 32 kilometers below the earth's surface.
There was no report of significant damage from the quake, which cut electricity in some coastal areas and sent people running into the streets as far away as the highland capital Quito, witnesses said.
The much larger earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale on April 16th killed 650 and left tens of thousands homeless. It has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks, some as strong as 6.6 on the Richter scale./.
Compiled by BTA