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Shortly after two earthquakes wreaked havoc in Japan, another one hit Ecuador on its Pacific coast on Saturday night, killing at least 233 people and injuring more than 580, the New York Post reported.
The magnitude-7.8 earthquake was centered over tourist beaches and fishing ports about 100 miles northwest of Ecuador's capital, Quito, the Post said.
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Vice President Jorge Glas said at a press conference that the quake was the strongest to hit Ecuador since 1979, the Post reported. Glas also said landslides were making it difficult to get to the disaster area.
The Post reported that homes were annihilated, a highway overpass demolished a car, a shopping center lost its roof, and an airport in Manta was shut down after a control tower collapsed, injuring an air traffic control worker and a security guard.
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President Rafael Correa declared a national emergency, and Ecuador's Risk Management agency said 10,000 armed forces, 3,500 national police officers and 500 firefighters were deployed to help, according to the newspaper.
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