Ecuador in a State of Exception Due to Earthquake

On Sunday, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso declared a "State of Exception" throughout the country to be able to attend to the areas affected by the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that had its epicenter in the province of Guayas on Saturday morning.

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The death toll from the earthquake has risen to 14. Another 446 people were injured following the earthquake, according to the Ecuadorian Secretariat of Risk Management.

Among those killed, 11 were in the province of El Oro and one in the province of Azuay. Some injured people have been treated in hospitals, Lasso said during the establishment of the National Emergency Operations Committee in Guayaquil to evaluate and determine immediate response actions.

The earthquake occurred at 12:12 p.m. local time on Saturday at a depth of 44 km and 29.12 km from the city of Balao in the province of Guayas, according to the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School, and was felt in 13 of Ecuador's 24 provinces.

The tweet reads, "This is how the earthquake in Guayaquil's bay was experienced."

The Secretariat of Risk Management initially reported four deaths, in addition to material damage to homes, health centers, educational facilities and public or private property.

Lasso announced that the Housing Ministry would provide assistance for the reconstruction of affected houses, while the Social Inclusion Ministry would deliver aid to the victims. 

According to the Directorate for Monitoring Adverse Events, the earthquake destroyed 84 dwellings and caused damage to 180 homes, 80 educational units and 33 health centers.