Powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude kills at least 77 in Ecuador; 600 injured
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador, killing 77 people and injuring nearly 600, the authorities said on Sunday. Vice President Jorge Glas said the quake hit at 6.58 p.m. on Saturday (11.58 GMT) near the northern coastal town of Muisne. When he earlier put the death toll at 41, Glas warned that the toll would "unfortunately rise in the coming hours". BBC reported widespread severe damage, with a bridge destroyed as far south as Guayaquil, about 300 km away from the capital Quito. A state of emergency was declared in six provinces. The earthquake, the country's worst in decades, shook buildings in Quito. There were a number of aftershocks, the biggest at 5.4. President Rafael Correa cut short his trip to Italy to return home. BBC quoted Glas as saying that at least 77 people had been killed and 588 injured. The quake was centred just off the country's northwest coast at a shallow depth of 19 km, Xinhua news agency quoted the the ...