5.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Ecuador coast: damaged buildings, huge loss of property, no tsunami

A huge loss of property was suffered when an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck Ecuador coast on Saturday. Buildings were damaged and various electricity and light poles on the highway also fell due to the destructive earthquake. Although magnitude 5.8 on a Richter scale is a moderate magnitude concerning earthquakes, a considerable loss of property was incurred.

The earthquake occurred in the coastal region of Ecuador with a depth of 40km or 25miles. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) claimed the epicenter was 9km south-southeast of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. But minutes later the same organization also revealed that the earthquake although has the capacity to damage buildings but will not lead to a tsunami due to its low magnitude on Richter.

The news of the earthquake broke in when several pictures and videos of the disrupted buildings and poles were shared on the internet. Following the earthquake, videos and photographs uploaded on social media showed partially collapsed buildings and minor damage inside a hospital. Another video showed the earthquake swaying buildings and a car, which frightened dogs into the street. There were no reports of injuries at the time.

The intensity of the earthquake was high enough to affect the capital Quito. No human damage or victims were reported. Various local media outlets also revealed that the earthquake occurred at around 11.28 p.m.  Talking about the specifics of the earthquake, its telluric movement was specifically located at 0.99 degrees in north latitude and 79.75 degrees in west longitude.

It was also realized that the quake’s tremor could be easily traced from the sea region which is very close to the coast beach where the earthquake originally occurred. Due to the disruption of buildings and electricity poles, power cut was occurred at various areas of the city. However, in Esmeralda people were asked to evacuate their homes that have been affected due to the earthquake.

The earthquake apart from Esmeraldas was also felt in Quito. Undulating movements by lamps and curtains were generated which led to so many people believing that the earthquake was long and strong. The tremor also reached Bata, Santo Domingo and other nearby areas. In addition, 11 minutes after the earthquake, another quake of 3.9-magnitude was experienced in a nearby area.

An earthquake is the shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere, which results in seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in size from those that can’t be felt to those that are powerful enough to throw things into the air and destroy entire towns. The number, nature, and size of earthquakes experienced in a given area are referred to as seismicity or seismic activity. The non-earthquake seismic rumbling is also referred to as a tremor. Earthquakes cause shaking and displacing or disruption of the ground at the Earth’s surface.