7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Ecuador coast: 28 dead.

(Baonghean.vn) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Ecuador late yesterday, Saturday, April 16th, causing strong tremors in the capital Quito and raising warnings of the risk of tsunamis.

Streets in a town in Ecuador after the earthquake. Photo: Twitter.

Ecuador's Vice President, Jorge Glass, said at least 28 people have died in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the Ecuadorian coast. Glass declared a state of emergency and began evacuations in coastal areas at risk of tsunamis.

Lorena Cazres, a local resident of Quito, said: “I was sitting watching a movie at home and everything started shaking violently. I immediately ran out into the street and now I don’t know what will happen.”

Images from the Ecuadorian government show a bridge has collapsed in the coastal city of Guayaquil and a tower has fallen at the airport in the city of Manta.

Some areas of the city have lost power and phone signal, and people are currently only communicating with each other via WhatsApp (a messaging app). Images shared on social media show numerous cracks appearing on the walls of shopping malls.

Countries in the Andes region (including seven nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) have declared a state of emergency but have yet to confirm the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake as having a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, while the Ecuadorian Institute of Geophysics provided a different, lower figure. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center predicted that tsunamis between 0.3 and 1 meter above high tide could occur along some Ecuadorian coastlines. Peru has issued a tsunami warning for the northern part of the country following the earthquake.

Thanh Hien

(According to Reuters)