Earthquake leaves several injured in Ecuador

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the province of Esmeraldas, on Ecuador's northern coast near the Colombian border, early Friday. The earthquake left at least 32 people injured and caused extensive material damage, including damage to the country's main refinery, which can process up to 110,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The epicenter of the quake was located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 9 kilometers northwest of the city of Esmeraldas , the provincial capital with a population of nearly 230,000 . The quake struck at 6:44 a.m. (11:44 GMT) and had a depth of approximately 30 kilometers beneath the seabed.

The intensity of the earthquake was felt most strongly in the city of Esmeraldas, was noticeable in the rest of the province, and was moderately or slightly felt in several areas of the country, including Quito and Guayaquil. According to the most recent report from the National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR), in addition to the injured, 716 people were reported affected in various municipalities near the epicenter.

In downtown Esmeraldas , several buildings suffered cracks of varying size, as well as collapsed walls and walls, which was the main cause of most of the injuries, none of whom were seriously injured.

The material damage has included 179 homes, two bridges, seven health facilities, and 26 schools , leading the government to postpone the start of the school year to May 12 in the affected area.

In Esmeraldas , 90% of telecommunications coverage and 90% of electricity service were also temporarily suspended, while in the nearby city of Atacames, 80% were also temporarily without electricity until the power was restored.

Damage has also been reported to the Esmeraldas Refinery, the country's largest, which has suspended operations while its entire infrastructure is assessed, according to a statement from Ecuador's state oil company, Petroecuador.

Due to the earthquake, oil transportation was also suspended as a precaution through the Trans-Ecuadorean Pipeline System (Sote) , one of the country's main pipelines that carries crude extracted from wells in the Amazon to the coast of Esmeraldas. It resumed operations a few hours later after it was confirmed that it had not suffered any damage.

The event was followed by a magnitude 2.8 aftershock at 7:49 local time (12:49 GMT), while at 7:09 local time (12:09 GMT) there was another earthquake near Guayaquil, located on the country's southern coast.

The Esmeraldas earthquake brought back memories for locals of the 2016 earthquake centered in Manta, which left 673 dead and widespread destruction in both Manabí province on Ecuador's central coast and Esmeraldas.

The earthquake prompted the country's president, Daniel Noboa, to travel abroad after leaving hours earlier to embark on a long, 15-day official tour that will take him to seven countries, the first of which will be the Vatican to attend Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday.

Noboa ordered all his ministers to immediately travel to Esmeraldas, where a meeting of the National Emergency Operations Committee (COE) was held to take initial action in coordination with local authorities in Esmeraldas.

2,900 soldiers have been deployed to the area to assist the affected population. On Saturday, 50 "blue helmet" police officers, a police unit specializing in humanitarian assistance during natural disasters, will be added to the force.

MF