Another tremblor in Ecuador hits search ops of earlier quake

US experts said the epicenter of the quake, which struck on Wednesday at a depth of 15.7 kilometers, was located 25 kilometers west of Muisne and 73 kilometers west-southwest of Propicia, the US Geological Survey said. No tsunami warning has been issued. Late Saturday, a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Ecuador’s Pacific coast in a zone popular with tourists. The death toll from that quake currently stands at 480 but was set to rise sharply as after authorities warned that 1,700 people were still missing. 

In an attempt to rescue survivors potentially trapped under the rubble, sniffer dogs and mechanical diggers were busy at work in the wreckage of coastal towns such as Pedernales and Manta as the stench of rotting bodies grew stronger under the baking sun. International rescuers and aid groups rushed to help victims 

as searchers dug for families trapped in the debris of homes, hotels and businesses. 

However, rescuers were losing hope on Tuesday of finding more survivors. Praying for miracles, distraught family members beseeched rescue teams to find missing loved ones as they used dogs, bare hands and excavators to hunt through debris of flattened homes, hotels and stores in the hardest-hit Pacific coastal region. 

Supervising rescue work in the disaster zone, Ecuador’s leftist president, Rafael Correa, said the quake inflicted $2 billion to $3 billion of damage to the oil-dependent economy and could knock 2 to 3 percentage points off growth. “Let’s not kid ourselves, it will be a long struggle. Reconstruction for years, billions (of dollars) in investment,” said Correa. “In the short term, we’re going to need tens of millions of dollars,” Correa added from the quakehit town of Tarqui, donning a mask, gloves and helmet. 

Growth in Ecuador’s small economy had already been forecast at near zero this year because of plunging oil revenues.