6.8 earthquake hits Ecuador (photos+video)

Tsunami not expected

A second earthquake struck Ecuador Wednesday 14.9 miles northwest of Rosa Zarate hours after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake happened near the Pacific coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was 21 miles from the town of Muisne in western Ecuador.
Rafael Correa, Ecuador’s president, tweeted there were no early reports of damage. There were also no immediate reports of injuries, and he encouraged residents of Quito to return to their homes.  These sort of aftershocks are normal but that doesn’t mean they’re not scary and can cause damage,” Correa said in a televised address, the Associated Press reported.

Two provinces remained without electricity hours after the quake, he said. Correa called the quake an aftershock and said it was normal. The quake April 16 in the same Pacific coast area killed 660 people and left thousands homeless.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in Honolulu said a tsunami was not expected off the coast of Ecuador.

Jorge Zambrano, mayor of Manta, one of the areas hit hardest by last month’s big quake, told the Associated Press that streets were calm after Wednesday’s temblor.

Source: USA Today 

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