REMOVAL - The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades left traumatized the country, with a lot of buildings collapsed in a swathe of destruction stretching for hundreds of kilometers. More than 200 people died and hundreds were injured.
President Rafael Correa broke off his official visit to Europe and declared a national emergency after the earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred Saturday night that shook the central coast. The effects were felt in the capital, Quito, and in regions of Peru and Colombia.
At noon on Sunday, President Correa said in a Twitter message that at least 233 people were killed by the quake.
Ecuador has a long history of destructive earthquakes but this Saturday, which by some accounts lasted more than a minute, is believed to be one of the most powerful since the seventies.
Some geologists said that his strength was 20 times greater than the deadly earthquake that shook southern Japan last week. Ecuadorian Vice President, Jorge Glas, said more than 570 people were injured, reported The Associated Press.
The center of the earthquake was located 25 kilometers southeast of Muisne, Ecuador, reported the US Geological Survey.
The presidential emergency decree expands the government's authority in six of the 24 provinces. The state of emergency was declared throughout the national territory. The deaths were recorded in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabi and Guayas, along the northern border with Colombia.
Among the dead is a child who fell down the stairs in a shopping center in the port city of Guayaquil and another who died after the collapse of a bridge in that city, said Teleamazonas.
Adriana Villacis, a nurse 40 years, was with her husband and son in a supermarket about 30 minutes from Quito when products began to fall.
"The first thing I did was to protect my son and look for the exit, but a part of the ceiling fell, and I was frozen," he said. "Thank God suffered no physical harm, but my son vomited in shock."
In the district of Pedernales, near the epicenter, a large number of houses collapsed and damaged vehicles that were parked on the street.
In the Mariscal Sucre, north of Quito, street poles fell and caused panic among drivers. Jorge Espinel decided to park his car to avoid an accident.
"It was terrible, a shock," he said. "I have no words to express what I felt."
In Quito, where the quake was felt for about 40 seconds and residents took to the streets by fear, the earthquake affected electricity and mobile phone services in several neighborhoods.
The mayor of Quito, Mauricio Rodas, said there were rockfalls on the roads leading to the capital and reported that the walls of many houses also fell. However he said that there have been no reported fatalities or injuries in the city.
In Guayaquil, an overpass collapsed on top of a car and the roof of a mall was affected. Manta, the airport was closed after the control tower was severely damaged.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of tsunami by the earthquake had passed. The quake had a depth of nearly 20 kilometers. Several aftershocks, some as strong that reached a magnitude of 5.6, occurred after the initial quake.
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