Ecuador struck by 6.7 magnitude quake: USGS

QUITO , Ecuador (AFP) — A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Moment magnitude scale struck Ecuador early Wednesday, one month after a devastating 7.8 magnitude quake that killed some 660 people, the US Geological Survey said.

Ecuador’s national geological institute, which measured the quake at 6.8, said it struck at 2:57 am local time (0757 GMT) in the South American country’s western Manabi region.

US geologists said there was no tsunami threat from the quake. It was not immediately known whether there were casualties or serious damage.

The quake had a depth of 32 kilometers (21 miles) and was centered 136 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of Quito, seismologists said.

Last month’s quake was the worst to strike Ecuador in decades, causing buildings and roads to collapse, with the cost of the damage totaling billions of dollars.

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