Quito: A number of 77 people were killed when an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck on Saturday in the Pacific coast of Ecuador. It is said to be the strongest earthquake of the decade. The quake was felt all around the country for 40 seconds at about 2000 hours.
The depth of the earthquake was 20 kms. Power and telephone services were effected and people were communicating through whatsapp. Neighbouring country Peru issued a Tsunami alert for the North of the country. President, Rafael Correa declared a national emergency and also urged the nation's 16 million people to stay calm.