A national emergency has been declared in
Ecuador as rescuers scramble to find
survivors following a 7.8 magnitude
earthquake which has claimed at least 272
lives.
President Rafael Correa landed back in the
country late on Sunday night to oversee the
relief effort after cutting short a trip to the
Vatican.
Ecuadoreans have been warned that the
number of fatalities is likely to rise – as
more than 2,500 people were injured
following the strong quake, and a large
number remain unaccounted for.
It has emerged that the forceful tremors
allowed about 180 inmates to break out of a
prison in the western town of Portoviejo,
and dozens are yet to be captured.
But thousands of food packages and nearly
8,000 sleeping kits have been delivered from
neighbouring countries, bringing warmth to
the many thousands left homeless and with
no choice but to sleep outside in the dark.
“Everything can be rebuilt, but what can’t
be rebuilt are human lives, and that’s the
most painful,” President Correa said.
Families have expressed their frustration at
being unable to rescue their loved ones from
collapsed buildings, reports Sky News.
Manuel Quijije said his older brother was
trapped underneath a pile of twisted steel
and concrete, adding: “We managed to see
his arms and legs. They’re his, they’re
buried, but the police kicked us out because
they say there’s a risk the rest of the
building will collapse.
“We’re not afraid. We’re desperate. We
want to pull out our family.”
There have been at least 135 aftershocks
since the earthquake struck, and according
to the US Geological Survey, one of them had
a magnitude of 5.6.
The authorities have warned Ecuadoreans to
prepare for similarly strong aftershocks in
the coming hours and days.
This is the seventh earthquake with a
magnitude of 7.0 or higher to hit Ecuador
since 1900 – and one in March 1987 killed
approximately 1,000 people.
