6.1-magnitude quake hits off coast of reeling Ecuador

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador on Wednesday, just four days after another, more powerful quake sparked devastation and killed nearly 525 people, with 1,700 others reported missing. 

The toll increased by 45 people as emergency workers continued pulling bodies from the rubble in the western province of Manabi, officials said. 

Earlier tolls had also included deaths in the southwestern province of Guayas, meaning that the overall toll is even higher — and likely to continue rising, with hundreds of people still missing.

The epicentre of the latest quake, which struck at 8:33 GMT at a depth of 15.7 kilometres, was located 25 kilometres west of Muisne and 73 kilometres west-southwest of Propicia, the US Geological Survey said.

Authorities in Quito called the latest earthquake an aftershock. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

It came with the South American nation already reeling from Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake that hit Ecuador’s coast in a zone popular with tourists, not too far from the epicentre of Wednesday’s quake.

The death toll from that quake, currently at 480, was set to rise sharply after authorities warned that 1,700 people were still missing.

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.

“We have 2,000 people listed that are being looked for, but we have so far found 300,” Deputy Interior Minister Diego Fuentes told reporters in the capital Quito.

Some 4,605 people were injured, according to the latest government figures.

In a glimmer of good news as he toured the affected areas, President Rafael Correa said 54 people had been rescued alive from the rubble.

Still, hope of finding more victims alive was fading fast as the crucial three-day mark was reached late on Tuesday.

Locals in devastated towns such as Manta — population 253,000 — started to lose patience.

“The rescue has been very slow and precious lives have been lost. We relatives have been waiting here since Saturday night,” said Pedro Merro, who said his cousin was under the wreckage of a three-floor market in Manta.

Luis Felipe Navarro said he was sure there were people alive in the concrete and twisted metal of a building he owned — one of around 800 structures toppled in the quake.

“I have received messages on my telephone. They say there are 10 of them in a cavity,” he said. “But the rescue teams will not listen to me.” 

“It is very hard but we are moving forward,” Correa said in Manta, where he handed out food and water in what resembled a war zone.

Hundreds of emergency workers from Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Spain and other countries were helping overwhelmed Ecuadorian officials.