Rescuers in Ecuador clawed through collapsed buildings on Monday as they scrambled to find survivors of a powerful earthquake that killed 350, people, injured thousands, and caused widespread coastal destruction.
President Rafael Correa said the death toll will “certainly” rise in the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck the small, oil-producing South American nation late Saturday.
The quake, the most powerful to strike Ecuador in decades, shattered hotels and homes along its Pacific coast popular with tourists and reduced several towns to rubble.
More than 2,000 people were injured as structures tumbled during the quake or its dozens of aftershocks.
The capital Quito, farther inland, escaped with cracked walls and power outages, and the country’s strategic oil facilities appeared unscathed, officials said. Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Guillaume long said via Twitter that experienced rescuers were arriving from Switzerland, Spain, and other latin American countries including Mexico and Peru.