DHAKA: A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake has killed at least 41 people in Ecuador, Vice-President Jorge Glas says.

A state of emergency was declared in six provinces and the National Guard has been mobilized, reports the BBC.

The quake, near the coastal town of Muisne, destroyed a bridge in the country’s largest city of Guayaquil about 300km away.

The tremor, which struck just before 19:00 on Saturday (midnight GMT), also shook buildings in the capital Quito.

Quito resident Zoila Villena told the media ‘I’m in a state of panic’.

‘My building moved a lot and things fell to the floor. Lots of neighbors were screaming and kids crying,’ she said.

Parts of the capital were left without electricity for some time. An airport tower in the city of Manta is also said to have been destroyed.

Reports say a big oil refinery has been temporarily shut as a precautionary measure.

Glas told reporters that emergency services, police and the army were ‘in a state of maximum alert to protect the lives of citizens’.

BDST: 1118 HRS, APR 17, 2016
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** 28 killed in Ecuador earthquake