Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes Ecuador, damaging buildings

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near the coast of Ecuador on Friday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, damaging buildings in the city of Esmeraldas and temporarily shutting down some oil infrastructure.

The quake struck at a depth of 23 km (14.29 miles), EMSC said, with Ecuadorean authorities ruling out issuing a tsunami warning.

The government in a preliminary report said that one person was injured, while several public buildings and private homes were damaged. Some areas were also hit with power outages.

President Daniel Noboa, in a post on social media platform X, said the government would work to set up shelters, deliver humanitarian aid kids and "assist with everything our people need."

State oil company Petroecuador said it had suspended operations at the Esmeraldas refinery and SOTE pipeline as a preventative measure following the quake, without detailing potential production impact.

Ecuador's Geophysical Institute, which had estimated the quake's magnitude at 6.0, also reported a second earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 minutes later in the province of Guayas.

Reuters