On April 16, Ecuador was hit by a 7.8-magnitude quake, with its epicenter located near the town of Pedernales in Manabi province, which is situated south of Esmeraldas province.
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Residents comb through a post-earthquake debris field to salvage recyclable material as a dump truck unloads its cargo, in Manta, Ecuador.
Saturday’s quake is the worst to hit Latin America and the Caribbean since the 2010 natural disaster in Haiti, which killed between 200,000 and 250,000 people.
In his traditional weekly activity report, Correa said that 12,492 people have received treatment after being injured in the temblor, one of the most powerful ever to strike the Andean nation.
The Ecuadorian president has estimated damage at $2 billion to $3 billion.
The magnitude-6 quake has struck the country’s north-west coast – but there’s no word yet on injuries or damage. Even before the quake, Ecuador was bracing for a bout of austerity, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting the economy would shrink 4.5 percent this year. Aid workers have said there are plenty of supplies from countries flying in aid, but they warned of delays in water distribution and said mosquito-borne illness could spread through the camps.
Officials say 113 survivors have been rescued from the rubble, but hopes of finding any more are slim.
“It has been a national tragedy, but we will recover”, said Mr Correa.
Rescuers also found a more unusual survivor: A flapping white-and-brown duck was pulled from under a pile of rubble, becoming a social media celebrity in a country eager for good news. Chinese companies have also donated food, drugs, and medical equipment to the quake-affected areas, and sent technicians to build telecommunication infrastructure.
The World Bank has agreed to lend $150m (£105m) to help Ecuador cope with the financial costs of the quake.
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“The death toll will continue to rise, unfortunately, but at a slower pace”. Ecuadorean officials listed 130 people as still missing and the number of people left homeless climbed to over 25,000. On the same day, the death toll was declared 570, which is higher than the records of casualties in Chile and Peru.
