The death toll from the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador’s coastal Guayas province on Saturday has risen to 446, killing 14 people.

According to the government, twelve people died in El Oro province, which borders Peru, and two in Azua, also in the south of the country.

The Ministry of Transport and Public Works predicted this Sunday that in the next few hours it will declare a state of emergency in the province of Azuay, as the earthquake caused thirteen landslides on the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme road and nine on the Cuenca-Jiron -Pasaje road. Official reports in Ecuador indicate 180 houses damaged, 84 destroyed, 80 educational institutions, as well as 22 public facilities, 32 private facilities, 33 medical centers and one private facility destroyed, as well as 5 bridges.

After the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck at noon this Saturday, which was felt in 13 of the country’s 24 provinces, another 4 with a magnitude of 4.8, as well as a 3.7 and 2 with a 3.5 with an epicenter in the extreme northeast of the country were recorded . Puna Island in the Gulf of Guayaquil (southwest).

Among the damage to the infrastructure, in particular, the collapse of facades, broken glass and cracks in the walls were reported.

The collapse of the old cabotage pier, damage to the YAT Club Machala, as well as broken telephone lines and lack of electricity in several cantons of El Oro province were also recorded.

The state-owned company Petroecuador announced this Sunday that they have registered damage to part of the infrastructure at the Amistad field facilities located in the Gulf of Guayaquil.

“The chimney of the heater is broken and does not work, there is pressure in the gas pipeline, the MBD-2030 separator is clogged,” the message says.

Because of these losses, they estimate the impact on production “is one million cubic feet of gas. To date, the Amistad field reports total production in excess of 20.5 million cubic feet per day.”

For its part, the city council of Guayaquil, the capital of Guayas province, clarified on Saturday that there was a partial structural collapse and 29 architectural (non-structural) collapses in the urban area; while in rural areas, 1 structural collapse was reported in Puná and 15 architectural collapses (11 in Puná and 4 in Tenguel) and one minor injury.

Inaugurating the National Committee for Emergency Situations (COE), President Lasso said his government had been activated “extraordinarily” to provide the necessary assistance to those affected by the earthquake.

Fire belt

Ecuador is located in the Pacific Rim or Ring of Fire, where some of the most important subduction zones (breakup of tectonic plates) in the world are concentrated and is an arena of strong seismic activity.

In addition to Ecuador, the horseshoe-shaped belt includes other countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

On April 16, Ecuador will commemorate the seventh anniversary of one of the most destructive earthquakes in its recent history with a magnitude of 7.8.

This natural phenomenon, which occurred on April 16, 2016, caused more than 670 deaths, thousands of victims, and millions of dollars in property damage.