A 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Ecuador on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake had its epicenter 20 km northwest of Esmeraldas, with a depth of 35 km.
Ecuador’s National Risk Management Secretariat reported that the earthquake was felt in at least 56 cantons across the country.
For its part, the Esmeraldas mayor’s office announced in a statement that all activities were suspended in order to “safeguard the population.” It also indicated that technical personnel had been deployed to assess the damage.
Although the USGS indicated that the magnitude had been 6.3, the Geophysical Institute, which monitors seismic and volcanic activity in Ecuador, placed the magnitude at 6 .
Minutes later, a second earthquake was recorded, this time with a magnitude of 4.1 and located in Guayas.
