1 of 2 car destroyed by debris from the earthquake that hit Cuenca, a city more than 200km from the epicenter on the coast of Ecuador — Photo: Xavier Caivinagua/AP Car destroyed by debris from the earthquake that struck Cuenca, a The city that was hit is located more than 200 km from the epicenter on the coast of Ecuador — Photo: Xavier Caivinagua/AP
At least five countries in Latin America were hit by earthquakes this Saturday (18): Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.
All of these countries are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a large horseshoeshaped area 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) encircling the Pacific Ocean (it also passes through the US, Canada, Russia, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Oceania). There are at least 450 active volcanoes along it and a high frequency of earthquakes about 90% of all tremors recorded worldwide occur in it.
2 of 2 Map identifies the Pacific Ring of Fire region — Photo: Ciência/G1 Map identifies the Pacific Ring of Fire region — Photo: Ciência/G1
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The strongest earthquake of the day so far was recorded in Peru. The Peruvian National Seismological Center recorded a magnitude 7.0 earthquake at 12:12 p.m. (local time; 2:12 p.m. Brasília time) with the epicenter in Tumbes in the north of the country. According to the National Civil Defense Institute, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries or material losses.
On Friday, Peru had already registered two other tremors: a magnitude 4.2 in Huarmey on the Peruvian coast; and another of 3.5 in Caylloma in the south of the country.
In Ecuador, at 12:12 p.m. (local time; 2:12 p.m. Brasilia time), a magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook the country’s coast. Its epicenter was about 30 kilometers from the municipality of Balao in the province of Guayas, according to the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School of Ecuador. According to the Portal agency, there is no threat of a tsunami off the coast of the country.
Two new earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 4.6 and 3.7, were subsequently recorded in the same region, and residents of Guayaquil and six other cities reported noticing the tremors. The Ecuadorian authorities confirm the deaths of 13 people and the number of injured exceeds 120. The victims are concentrated in the provinces of El Oro and Azuzay.
The President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, announced the establishment of an emergency committee. “We are conducting an assessment of the damage caused by the earthquake,” he wrote on his Twitter profile. “The institutions acted immediately and emergency teams are being mobilized to guarantee all their support to those affected.”
In the last 24 hours, the National Institute for Seismic Prevention has identified two earthquakes in Argentina: in Mendoza (magnitude 5.0) and in Catamarca (magnitude 3.0), less than half an hour apart the first occurred at 12 :41 am. About 40 minutes later, a new earthquake (magnitude 2.6) was observed in San Juan.
At least six tremors were recorded in Chile during the same period. The strongest of these was observed at 5:01 am in Arica (magnitude 4.0) in the far north of the country. The cities of Antofagasta, Araucania, BioBio, Callam and Cobquecura were also affected.
At least 18 tremors were recorded in Mexico, according to the Mexican National Seismic Service. The epicenter of the strongest of them (magnitude 4.3) was identified about 150 kilometers from San Jose Del Cabo on the west coast of the country at 10:33 a.m. (local time; 1:33 p.m.).
Additional tremors, ranging in magnitude from 3.3 to 4.2, occurred in the Michoacan, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Oaxaca and Baja California regions.