The government of Ecuador declared a state of emergency in the province of Azuay this Sunday after the aftermath of the earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale that caused 13 landslides in the area.
President Guillermo Lasso indicated that the priority was to intervene immediately on the main roads connecting this area of Andean country affected by the tellurium movement with its epicenter in the city of Balao, in the province of Guayas, making itself felt 13 others jurisdictions. .
On Saturday night, Lasso visited the city of Cuenca, capital of Azuay province, to assess the damage, stating it was an “earthquake with major impacts in El Oro Province, Guayas and Azuay Province.”
“You are not alone, we understand the anguish this has generated,” said the President from there, while expressing his solidarity with the families of the deceased.
According to the Geophysical Institute (IG), the earthquake occurred on March 18 with its epicenter in Guayas and had the characteristics to be called an earthquake.
IG seismologist Pablo Palacios assured that “an earthquake is qualified when it is strong enough to cause structural damage”, as it happened in this case, he specified.
Palacios indicated that the movement was deep (about 44 kilometers), in an area where earthquakes of this type have already occurred.
“Such movements have been observed in recent years, but with smaller magnitudes,” he explained.
It is not possible to predict new events – he warned – but there is no direct temporal relationship that would allow us to confirm that there will be an event of any major magnitude in the future.
It is highly unlikely that an earthquake of equal or greater magnitude will occur, although it cannot be ruled out,” concluded Palacios.
The earthquake in the border area between Ecuador and Peru has claimed 14 lives so far, according to official figures, although President Guillermo Lasso mentioned during a press conference in the city of Cuenca in the province of Azuay that the death toll had risen to 16.
According to the latest report from the Adverse Events Surveillance Directorate, there are 446 injured, 180 houses affected, 84 completely destroyed, 80 damaged educational units and 33 health centers.
(With information from PL)