Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the people of Ecuador, who were hit by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Saturday.
Hundreds of people were hurt and at least 15 people were killed in the quake, which mainly affected southern Ecuador and northern Peru, according to reports.
“I am close to the Ecuadorian people and I assure you of my prayers for the deceased and all those who are suffering,” the pope said.
A strong earthquake, shook Ecuador and Peru, killing at least 16people, with about 381 reported injured, damaging homes and buildings, and sending panicked residents into the streets.
The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.7 earthquake on Saturday in Ecuador’s coastal Guayas region. The tremor was centred about 80km (50 miles) south of the country’s second-biggest city, Guayaquil, which anchors a metro area of more than three million people.
The earthquake did not appear likely to generate a tsunami, authorities said.
The tremor killed 13 people in Ecuador, while at least one person was reported dead in Peru. Authorities in Ecuador initially reported that at least 126 people were injured but the figures have since risen to 381 with 16 confirmed dead so far.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso told reporters the earthquake had “without a doubt generated alarm in the population”.
His office said that “all the ministries are activated and have sufficient economic resources to immediately repair earthquake damage”. It added that 11 of the victims died in the coastal state of El Oro and two in the highlands state of Azuay.
Ecuador is particularly prone to earthquakes. In 2016, a quake centred farther north on the Pacific Coast in a more sparsely populated area of the country killed more than 600 people.
