Ecuador Earthquake: State of Emergency Declared After at Least 233 Killed
Source: NBC NEWS
The death toll from a powerful earthquake that shook Ecuador's northwestern coast soared to 233 Sunday and hundreds more were wounded, the nation's president said.
Ecuador was in a state of emergency Sunday after the magnitude-7.8 earthquake flattened buildings and ravaged towns Saturday just before 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET).
"Thank you to the whole world for solidarity," President Rafael Correa said on Twitter after announcing 233 people were killed in the quake, which was a huge leap from an earlier death toll of 77.
"Our infinite love to the families of the dead," Correa said on Twitter, while cutting short a trip to Italy to return home.
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/7-8-magnitude-earthquake-hits-near-ecuador-s-coast-usgs-n557181
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Padernales, a town of 40,000, was at epicenter.
