Ecuador's quake death toll rises to 77, national guard mobilized

Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas announced the updated death toll at a press conference, saying the 7.8 magnitude quake, centered on the South American country's sparsely populated coastal regions, caused widespread destruction in the vicinity of the epicenter.

The quake was the strongest to hit Ecuador since 1979 and accessing the disaster zone was extremely difficult due to landslides in the hilly country, he said.

President Rafael Correa signed a decree declaring a national emergency of two months and rushed home from a visit to Rome.

According to Ecuador's Risk Management agency, 10,000 armed forces troops have been deployed to help and 3,700 national police and firefighters were heading to the towns of Manabi, Esmeraldas and Guayas. In addition, five shelters have been set up for evacuation.

Several aftershocks, some as strong as 5.6 on the Richter scale, occurred in the hour after the first quake.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat from the quake has now mostly passed.

Ecuador is located in a region with frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Source: Xinhua