A table and chairs are seen in a hole in the floor of a school following an earthquake in Isla Puna, Ecuador March 18, 2023.Photo: IC

There have been no reports of Chinese casualties in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that shook southern Ecuador and northern Peru, which has killed at least 15 people and trapped many more under rubble, the Chinese Embassy in Ecuador confirmed with the Global Times on Sunday.

The US Geological Survey reported an earthquake with a magnitude of about 6.8 in Ecuador's coastal Guayas region. Its center was about 50 miles south of Guayaquil, which has a metropolitan area inhabited by more than 3 million people.

"We remain in the territory verifying the damage caused by the earthquake this morning. I want to confirm that I am with you and express my solidarity and commitment to the victims," Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said in a tweet.

An estimated 381 people were injured in the quake, the General Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency of Ecuador tweeted through an official account. The emergency response agency of Ecuador said firefighters were working to rescue people while the national police assessed the damage.

In the province of El Oro, at least 11 people have died. At least one other death was reported in the province of Azuay, according to the communications department. The agency said at least 44 homes were destroyed, while 90 more were damaged. 

Around 50 educational buildings and more than 30 health centers were affected, while multiple roadways were blocked by landslides caused by the earthquake. Santa Rosa airport suffered minor damage but remained in operation. 

In an earlier statement, authorities said the person in Azuay was killed when a wall collapsed onto a car and that at least three of the victims in El Oro died when a security camera tower came down.

There is no tsunami warning in effect for the area, according to the US National Weather Service.

Global Times