A powerful earthquake struck coastal Ecuador on Saturday, killing at least four people, according to a government statement.
The US Geological Survey said on its website that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 66 kilometers and had a magnitude of 6.8. The Ecuadorian government put the intensity at 6.5. Local news reports say that several buildings and homes were damaged in the Guayas area.
One person was killed when a building collapsed on his car in the city of Cuenca, while three more were killed in the Santa Rosa neighborhoods, about 530 km (329 miles) southwest of Quito. The government said many others were trapped under the debris.
The Esmeraldas oil pipeline to the capital Quito was temporarily suspended but is now operating again, while workers were evacuated as a precaution from a coastal liquefied natural gas plant and two terminals. There is also a blackout in some areas.
Ecuador is on the so-called Ring of Fire around the Pacific and is a regular site of earthquakes. The deadliest recent earthquake was in 2016, when more than 600 people died.
Social media postings show a collapsed building in the coastal town of Machala, according to a video on Twitter.
Another building was damaged inland in the city of Cuenca, where part of the facade fell on a car.
