The coastal regions of Ecuador and northern Peru were rocked by a devastating M6.8 earthquake on Saturday night, March 18, 2023.
As a consequence of the earthquake, the death of at least 12 people was reported, and damage to various buildings such as homes, schools and health centers.
The presidential communications agency said many houses, educational buildings and health centers had been damaged and several main roads were closed by landslides due to the quake.
"The Santa Rosa airport suffered minor damage, but continues to operate," wrote a statement from the Presidential Communications Agency as reported by Reuters, on Sunday (3/19/2023).
Meanwhile, Ecuador's Risk Management Secretariat said the deaths in Azuay province occurred when a wall collapsed on a vehicle. In other provinces, structural damage included collapsed docks and collapsed supermarket walls.
The agency said state oil company Petroecuador had evacuated and suspended activity at several facilities as a precaution, but reported no damage.
"We all ran out into the street. We were very scared," Ernesto Alvarado, a resident of Isla Puna near the epicenter, told Reuters, adding that several houses had collapsed.
The initial quake was followed by two weaker aftershocks in the next hour, according to the Ecuadorian Institute of Geophysics.
Peruvian authorities said the quake was felt in the north of the country and there were no reports of damage to people or buildings.