Five injured after earthquake of 6.0 magnitude strikes off Ecuador coast

Quito: A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck just off the coast of central Ecuador on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, though the government said damage was limited and only five people suffered minor injuries. [caption id=“attachment_3764531” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] People gather on the streets minutes after a tremor was felt in Quito. Reuters[/caption] The government’s ECU 911 safety service said there were no major incidents and a tsunami had been ruled out. Officials said that five people were injured, including an elderly man, and they were immediately taken to a local hospital. The USGS said the quake’s epicentre was 88.5 kilometre North West of Portoviejo at a depth of 10 kilometre below the Pacific seabed. The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.1, struck at 5:29 p.m. Last year, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador’s Pacific coast in April, killing more than 650 people. State oil company Petroecuador’s operations remained normal after Friday’s quake, a spokesman said.