A massive magnitude 6.8 earthquake left a trail of death and destruction across Ecuador Saturday, Reuters reported.
The earthquake caused multiple injuries and fatalities, primarily in the coastal El Oro province, according to Reuters. It also affected parts of northern Peru and was followed by two aftershocks.
A tectonic summary posted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) noted the “earthquake occurred as the result of oblique faulting at an intermediate depth, approximately 66 km beneath the Earth’s surface near the subduction interface of the Nazca and South America plates.”
Ecuador’s presidential communication agency reported at least 14 deaths and 381 injuries as a result of the quake. At least 44 homes were destroyed and numerous public buildings left damaged as landslides blocked some roads, Reuters reported. Damages also included a sunken wharf and a collapsed supermarket wall.
Ernesto Alvarado, a resident of Puná Island near the epicenter of the earthquake, told Reuters residents fled into the streets in fear as some buildings crumbled around them.
WATCH: Building drops into water during earthquake in Ecuador pic.twitter.com/LhMNdeUgLv
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Authorities stated that despite the intensity of the earthquake and its proximity to coastal communities, the likelihood of a tsunami remains low, according to Reuters. (RELATED: ‘Now I’m Also A Mom’: Man Legally Changes Gender To Help Win Custody Of His Children)
An airport in the town of Santa Rosa, located in the El Oro province, sustained damage from the quake but remained operational while Petroecuador, a national oil company, temporarily suspended operations in some facilities as a precautionary measure, Reuters reported.