A new balance shows that at least 15 people died and more than 300 were injured after a strong earthquake struck southern Ecuador and northern Peru on Saturday. Several residents were left under the rubble of the collapsed buildings.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which records seismic activity around the world, said that the earthquake had a magnitude of about 6.8 on the Richter scalewith epicenter about 80 kilometers south of Guayaquil, the second largest city in Ecuador.

The presidency of Ecuador said that At least 14 people have died, including 12 in the coastal state of El Oro and two in the mountainous state of Azuay.in the southeast of the country. In the Andean community of Cuenca, in Azuay, the passenger of a vehicle that was crushed by the rubble of a house died, according to the Secretariat for Risk Management, Ecuador’s emergency response agency. A four-year-old girl died in Peru.

The Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador revealed that so far 381 people have been treated in health centers, with the highest number of injuries in the El Pasaje regionin El Oro, where several people were trapped under rubble.

The Risk Management Secretariat announced that 44 houses were destroyed and the earthquake damaged 90 houses, 50 schools and 31 health centers, as well as a bridge and various public and private buildings. In Peru, the quake was felt from the northern border with Ecuador to the central Pacific coast.

Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otárola announced that A 4-year-old girl died from a head injury. who suffered after the collapse of a house in the Tumbes region, on the border with Ecuador.

The National Center for Emergency Operations of Peru The existence of at least 19 injured and another 73 affected by the earthquake was also confirmed. The earthquake destroyed four houses in Peru, left another five uninhabitable and damaged another 72 houses, as well as two health centers.

In the community of Machala, in southwestern Ecuador, a two-story house collapsed before people could be evacuated, a pier gave way and the walls of a building cracked, the Risk Management Secretariat said. The agency also referred to the existence of failures in the electrical and telephone networks, hindering the rescue operations carried out by the Fire Department and the National Police.

In Guayaquil, some 270 kilometers southwest of the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, authorities reported cracks in buildings and houses, as well as some collapsed walls. The authorities ordered the closure of three vehicular tunnels.

Ecuador is particularly prone to earthquakes. In 2016, an earthquake centered further north on the Pacific coastin a less populated part of the country, it killed more than 600 people.

Pope is close to the people of Ecuador after earthquake

Pope Francisco declared himself “close” to the people of Ecuadorafter the earthquake that shook the country and caused at least 15 deaths and extensive material damage also in neighboring Peru.

“Dear brothers and sisters, yesterday (Saturday) an earthquake in Ecuador injured many people and caused enormous damage. I feel close to the Ecuadorian people and I assure my prayer for the deceased and all those who suffersaid the Pope, speaking from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace after the Sunday Angelus prayer.