CALAMITY// A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit coastal Ecuador on April 16 around 7 p.m. while people were going about their evening. The tremors buckled overpasses trapping drivers. A shopping mall partially collapsed on customers and several buildings have been flattened with their content spilled into the streets. All six coastal provinces — Guayas, Manabi, Santo Domingo, Los Rios, Esmeraldas and Galapagos — were in state of emergencies. People left their homes and wandered around, some sleeping in the streets. The hardest-hit area was the coastal Manabi Province, where about 200 people died. The cities of Manta, Portoviejo and Pedernales, a tourist destination, saw the most devastation but damage was widespread throughout the country.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least one million people have been affected by the earthquake. The most affected provinces are Esmeralda and Manabí, located 170 kilometers away from the capital city Quito. The Ecuadorian Government has declared the state of emergency in 6 regions of the country. Some of the most affected towns include Pedernales, Portoviejo, and Manta in Manabi Province, Muisne in Esmeraldas Province, and Guayaquil in Guayas Province. They estimate damages in the region of $3 billion.