An earthquake whose epicenter is located in southern Equator on Saturday March 18 caused the death of at least 12 people and damaged several buildings, according to an initial report by the authorities The earthquake of magnitude 6.5 was recorded at 12:12 p.m. local time (1712 GMT) in the Ecuadorian municipality of Balao, 140 kilometers from the port of Guayaquil, and at a depth of 44 kilometers, Ecuadorian authorities said. It also shook Peru.
The American Seismological Institute (USGS) evaluated the magnitude at 6.8 on the Richter scale, the Peruvian seismological authorities announced it at 7.0. According to the Ecuadorian Secretariat for Risk Management, one person died in Cuenca (south) and three others in the surrounding area when a building collapsed.