BAHIA DE CARAQUEZ, Ecuador, April 22 (UPI) — A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador Thursday night, just five days after a larger quake killed at least 587 people.
The aftershock was centered 20.5 miles north-northwest of Bahia de Caraquez, a coastal city with a population of around 20,000, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. But it shook the ground and caused panic-stricken residents to run into the streets in the devastated resort town of Pedernales.
President Rafael Correa said on Twitter that a total of three aftershocks were registered on Thursday night, and urged citizens to “have strength!”
Ecuador is still reeling from a 7.8-magnitude earthquake which struck last Saturday, and left 5,733 injured and hundreds still missing. Around 23,000 people are homeless, according to government officials.
Canadian, British and Irish nationals were among the 11 foreigners killed in Saturday’s quake, which struck a Pacific coast region popular with tourists.
Teams of emergency workers from Mexico, Colombia. Spain and El Salvador are aiding relief efforts. In some areas there is a shortage of medicine and supplies.
Hundreds of buildings collapsed and roads were damaged in Saturday’s quake. Emergency workers are still searching through piles of rubble, often by hand, in the search for bodies and possible survivors.
“The death toll will continue to rise, unfortunately, but at a slower pace,” Correa.
He announced Wednesday night that he would raise sales taxes and put a one-time levy on the rich to help pay for reconstruction.
Millionaires will be required to contribute 0.9 percent of their wealth, while lower earners have been told to give a day’s wages for every $1,000 of their month’s income up to $5,000.
Rebuilding work is likely to cost more than $3 billion, stated Correa, and could knock three points of the country’s GDP.
It was the worst earthquake to hit the region since the 2010 quake in Haiti, which killed more than 200,00 people.
