By Imran Khan • Updated: 19 Mar 2023 • 8:42
House collapses killing four-year-old girl as death toll after 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador and Peru increases Image: Foto593 Shutterstock.com
The number of casualties after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Ecuador and Peru has increased to 15, as a four-year-old has also died after her house collapsed.
The statement about her death was released by the Peruvian prime minister, Alberto Otárola, who said, the girl died after “head trauma she suffered in the collapse of her home in the Tumbes region, on the border with Ecuador”, as cited by the Guardian.
Several people are also reported trapped under the rubble as rescue teams are working on the streets covered in debris and collapsed power lines.
The US Geological Survey had reported that the 6.8 magnitude earthquake had hit Ecuador’s coastal areas of Guayas and stated that the epicentre was approximately 50 miles (80km) south of Guayaquil, a metropolitan area with over 3 million inhabitants.
The president of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso earlier said that “Twelve of the victims died in the coastal state of El Oro and two in the highlands state of Azuay”.
He also stated that the earthquake had “without a doubt … generated alarm in the population”, as he asked the public to remain calm.
Officials in Ecuador also said that at least 126 people have also been reported injured.
Ecuador’s emergency response agency said that “One of the Azuay victims, in the Andean community of Cuenca, was a passenger in a vehicle crushed by rubble from a house”.
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A journalist, content professional, and former TEDx Speaker based in Tarragona (Spain), with a Master's in International Journalism (Cardiff, UK). Imran is an online reporter for The Euro Weekly News and covers international as well as Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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