A national emergency has been declared in Ecuador after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the region shortly after nightfall on Saturday. The quake — which had an epicenter near the country’s capital, Quito — demolished entire cities, trapping many survivors under rubble that has yet to be thoroughly searched.
The most recent death toll, according to Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa, is 272 — though that toll is expected to rise, possibly dramatically, in the coming days. Right now, search and rescue efforts are still focused on finding survivors of the disaster, rather than identifying those who are deceased. Read more…
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