Earthquake destroys many houses in Ecuador

They did not reach the Turkish scale, but there is also enough destruction.

Seismologists said that the force of the shock reached 6.7 points, the next 4 aftershocks were small.

The epicenter was located 60 km north of the city of Machala, with a population of 198,000, practically next to Balao, a small town with a population of 28,000.

The earthquake began around 12 o'clock local time, so people managed to leave the collapsing buildings. At the moment, only 14 dead under the rubble and 380 wounded are known.

The shock was so strong that it was felt almost throughout the country. The cities of Machala and Cuenca suffered the most.

According to preliminary information, 44 houses were destroyed and about 90 were damaged to some extent.

About 50 educational institutions and more than 30 medical centers were also affected.

The authorities assure that there is no threat of a tsunami, seismologists, in turn, argue that the earthquake was of tectonic origin. And in general, Ecuador is located in the so-called "Ring of Fire" (Pacific belt, where the movement of tectonic plates is active).

At the moment, the rubble is being cleared and the wounded are being treated.