The Sunday News
Pedernales — New aftershocks continued to rattle Ecuador on Friday as emergency workers continued searching for bodies after a devastating 7,8-magnitude earthquake that killed nearly 600 people. A 6,0-magnitude quake struck just off the coast of northwest Ecuador around 22:00 on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said. It was followed by smaller
aftershocks on Friday morning, ranging in magnitude from 4,0 to 5,2, said Ecuador’s Geophysics Institute.
AFP reporters in the region felt some shaking, but there were no immediate reports of new casualties or damage.
Ecuadoran authorities say more than 500 aftershocks have struck since Saturday’s earthquake, the worst to hit Latin America and the Caribbean since the 2010 quake in Haiti, which killed between 200 000 and 250 000 people. The official toll from Saturday’s quake now stands at 587 dead and 153 missing.
Another 8 340 people were injured and more than 25 000 left homeless.
The United Nations appealed on Friday for $72,7m to provide aid to
350 000 people over the next three months — about half the number it estimates are in need of help. Humanitarian organisations warn the country still faces huge risks, as the legions of homeless are now prey to disease-bearing mosquitoes and dirty drinking water. Many businesses in affected areas have closed their shutters, fearing looters — which has made it all the more difficult to find food and basic necessities. The quake crumpled hundreds of buildings up and down Ecuador’s Pacific coast, turning picturesque resort towns into something resembling a war zone. The smell of decomposing bodies has grown increasingly powerful in the tropical heat as workers continue searching for corpses in the ruins.
The disaster has also taken a heavy toll on Ecuador’s economy, already struggling from the collapse in global oil prices. President Rafael Correa announced a series of drastic economic measures in an address to the nation on Wednesday night aimed at paying for what he estimates will be the $3bn cost of rebuilding — “2 to 3% of GDP”, he said.
The measures include temporary income-tax increases equivalent to one day’s salary a month, a one-year sales tax hike and a one-time levy on utilities. Ecuadorans with assets of more than $1m will also have to fork over 0,9% of their wealth. — Reuters
