Earthquake strikes Ecuador again: 6.1 magnitude tremors felt in Muisne, Esmeraldas

Another earthquake struck the western coast of Ecuador on Wednesday. Tremors measuring 6.1 on the richter scale were reported in major parts of the country. High-alert has been issued. According to United States Geological Survey (USGC), the tumors originated from 25 kilometres west off the coast of Muisne. This was also the epicentre of Saturday’s devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake which left more than 525 people dead and more than 2000 stranded.

The tremors originated from a shallow depth of 10 kilometres beneath the seabed. Evacuation work has been initiated. As of now, no casualties have been reported.

The earthquake struck at 08:33 hours according to local time. Administration has completely evacuated the coastal regions. Maximum impact of the quake was seen in the regions of Muisne and Esmeraldas.

This is the second earthquake striking Ecuador after the catastrophic tremors of Saturday. The South American nation is prone to earthquakes. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has warned the nation of probable after-quake tremors over the next few weeks.

The Ecuadorian government had labelled the Saturday’s earthquake as the worst form of natural calamity which has struck the nation over past five decades. UNICEF has also warned of a possible disease outbreak which could end up affecting a total of 1,50,000 children in the nation.