At least 13 dead after strong earthquake shakes Ecuador

 

At least 13 people died after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southern Ecuador on Saturday afternoon, according to government officials.

At least 11 people died in the province of El Oro and at least one person died in the province of Azuay, according to the communications department for Ecuador’s president said.

In an earlier statement, authorities said the person in Azuay was killed when a wall collapsed onto a car and that at least three of the victims in El Oro died when a security camera tower came down.

The airports of Guayaquil and Cuenca remained open and operational, the country’s statement said.