《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Strong earthquake kills at least 77 in Ecuador

/ AP, QUITO, Ecuador

The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades flattened buildings and buckled highways along its Pacific coast, sending the Andean nation into a state of emergency. As rescue workers rushed in, officials yesterday said at least 77 people were killed, more than 570 injured and the damage stretched for hundreds of kilometers to the capital, Quito, and other major cities.

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The magnitude 7.8 quake, which struck just before midnight on Saturday, was centered on Ecuador’s sparsely populated fishing ports and tourist beaches, 170km northwest of Quito.

Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas gave the updated death toll early yesterday at a news conference. Earlier, he said there were deaths in the cities of Manta, Portoviejo and Guayaquil — all several hundred kilometers from the center of the quake.

He said the quake was the strongest to hit Ecuador since 1979 and accessing the disaster zone was difficult due to landslides.

“We are trying to do the most we can, but there is almost nothing we can do,” said Gabriel Alcivar, mayor of Pedernales, a town of 40,000 people near the quake’s epicenter.

Alcivar pleaded for authorities to send earth-moving machines and emergency rescue workers, as dozens of buildings in the town were flattened, trapping residents among the rubble. He said looting had broken out amid the chaos, but authorities were too busy trying to save lives to re-establish order.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa signed a decree declaring a national emergency and rushed home from a visit to Rome, urging Ecuadoreans to stay strong while authorities handle the disaster.

Ecuador’s Risk Management agency said 10,000 armed forces personnel had been deployed to help. In addition, 3,500 national police officers were sent to the towns of Manab, Esmeraldas and Guayas y Santa Elena; 500 firefighters were heading to Manabi and Pedernales, and five shelters have been set up for those who had to evacuate their homes.

On social media, images circulated of homes reduced to rubble, a shopping center’s roof torn apart, supermarket shelves shaking violently and a collapsed highway overpass that crushed a car. In Manta, the airport was closed after the control tower collapsed, injuring an air traffic controller and a security guard.

In Quito, people fled into the streets in fear as the quake shook their buildings. It knocked out electricity in several neighborhoods and six homes collapsed, but after a few hours, power was being restored, Quito Mayor Mauricio Rodas said.

Among those killed was the driver of a car crushed by an overpass that buckled in Guayaquil, the nation’s most populous city. The city’s international airport was briefly closed. Hydroelectric dams and oil pipelines in the OPEC member nation were shut down as a precautionary measure, but so there were no reports of damage to them.

Towns near the epicenter were evacuated as a precautionary measure in case of hazardous tsunami waves, but several hours later authorities said it was safe for coastal residents to return to their homes.

Sports events and concerts were canceled nationwide.

The US Geological Survey originally put the quake at a magnitude of 7.4, but later raised it to 7.8. It had a depth of 19km. Dozens of aftershocks followed, one as strong as magnitude 6, and authorities urged residents to brace for even stronger ones in the coming hours and days.

Most Taiwanese in Ecuador are safe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Citing information provided by Taiwan’s representative office in Ecuador, the ministry said there are no reports of Taiwanese killed or injured in Quito or Machala, but added that some in Guayaquil remain unaccounted for, because of communication issues.

“We are doing our best to gain a better understanding about the Taiwanese who we have not had contact with,” the ministry said.

Additional reporting by CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES