Ecuador Earthquake: Two 6.8 Magnitude Shocks Leave 1 Dead, 85 Hurt In Same Area As April Quake

Only a month after the devastating 7.8 earthquake in Ecuador, the country has been shaken again on Wednesday morning by, not one, but two 6.8 magnitude quakes, near the town of Esmeraldas. A town which was severely damaged by the April 16 earthquake.

While authorities were worried that a tsunami could follow, President Rafael Correa tweeted himself that there is no tsunami alert so far and that they have evaluated the impact of the quakes. "We have 85 minorly injured; say from running and falling, etc. Only two have severe trauma and we are very sorry about the death of a senior citizen in Tosagua."

In addition, some northern cities and towns have been left without electricity or water and Esmeraldas Mayor Lenín Lara told the press early this morning that emergency rescue teams were supervising the area thoroughly. “We’ve received notification of a building that collapsed in its entirety and other edifications were damaged,” Lara said.

Ecuadorians reported on social media that the strong quakes were felt in cities like Quito, Esmeraldas and Manabí, which are not far from the epicenter in Mompiche.

When the earthquake hit last month, President Correa was in the middle of a trip to Italy, which he cut short to return to his country and deal with what he declared was a state of emergency. At the time, Correa instructed almost 10,000 troops and 3,500 police to focus on finding survivors. “Everything can be rebuilt, but lives cannot be recovered, and that's what hurts the most,” he said.

While Ecuador is known for having high-magnitude earthquakes, this has been the strongest for the nation since 1979. The April 16 quake had its center 16 miles southeast of Muisne, Ecuador, the United States Geological Survey reported, and it allegedly lasted over 60 seconds, furthering the devastation in affected areas.

Check out these organizations you can reach out to, in order to help out our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters through donations and helping spread awareness.