At least 12 people died after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southern Ecuador on Saturday afternoon, according to government officials.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said there was no tsunami risk to Australia from the quake.
Eleven people died in the province of El Oro and one person died in the province of Azuay, according to the communications department for Ecuador’s president said.
In an earlier statement, authorities said the person in Azuay was killed when a wall collapsed onto a car and that at least three of the victims in El Oro died when a security camera tower came down.
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People who were injured were being treated at hospitals, the Presidency added, but did not provide further details.
The USGS gave the tremor an “orange alert,” saying “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.”
“Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response,” the USGS added. It also estimated damage and economic losses were possible.
Relatives of a CNN producer in the western port city of Guayaquil said they felt “very strong” tremors.
CNN afiliate Ecuavisa reported structural damage to buildings in Cuenca, one of the country’s biggest cities. The historic city is in the UN list of world heritage sites.
The airports of Guayaquil and Cuenca remained open and operational, the country’s statement said.
