Eight people were injured and more than a hundred homes were damaged by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake recorded on Monday morning in the Andean province of Carchi, on the border between Ecuador and Colombia, reported the state Risk Service.
Among the eight injured there are three people with fractures and bruises, according to the most recent report of the agency. Five other residents suffered nervous breakdowns due to the earthquake that occurred near the town of San Gabriel (120 km north of Quito).
The Risk Service added that there are 138 homes and 32 educational centers with damage in the towns of Montúfar, Espejo, Mira, Bolívar, San Pedro de Huaca and Tulcán, the latter capital of the province of Carchi (bordering the Colombian department of Nariño). ).
“So far no missing or deceased persons have been reported,” said the ECU911 Security System, which initially reported a person injured by the fall of a wall “due to the earthquake.
The rescuers “are mobilizing to provide support and the pertinent evaluation in coordination with the Governor and the Provincial COE,” Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said on Twitter.
The Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, said on that same social network: “We continue with the president @LassoGuillermo evaluating the earthquake that occurred in #Carchi. @PoliciaEcuador personnel went to the area to maintain order and support the population. No fatalities are recorded.”
Eight aftershocks have been recorded
The epicenter of the 5.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded 13 km from San Gabriel and two km deep, according to the Quito Geophysical Institute, at 8:33 local time (13:33 GMT).
After the first movement, which was felt in seven of the 24 provinces, eight aftershocks of between 2.9 and 4.1 magnitude have been recorded.
Ecuador is on the Nazca and South American marine plates, which generates constant tremors.
In 2016, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the coastal provinces of Manabí and Esmeraldas (also bordering Colombia), leaving 673 dead and some 6,300 wounded and injured. Losses from that earthquake amounted to more than 3,000 million dollars.
#Press release| Shares of #COE Provincial before the emergency in the province. pic.twitter.com/hmwoz3AYeK
– Carchi Governorate (@GoberCarchi) July 25, 2022
