Death Toll From Earthquake In Ecuador Rises To 12 - Authorities

BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2023) The number of people who died as a result of the 6.5-magnitude earthquake in western Ecuador has gone up to 12, the president's press service informs.

"So far, 12 deaths have been reported (11 in the province of El Oro and one in the province of Azuay)," the presidency said in a Saturday statement.

According to the release, a number of people have been injured as a result of the earthquake and have been hospitalized.

Earlier in the day, the Ecuadorian Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR) said that the death toll from the earthquake stood at four (three fatalities in El Oro and one in Azuay).

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook western Ecuador on Saturday, with the quake's epicenter located around 59 kilometers (37 miles) north of the city of Machala.