Ecuador earthquake: Death toll rises to 16, at least 381 injured

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The death toll in the Ecuador earthquake has risen to 16, taking the toll of injured to 381, CNN reported citing authorities on Sunday.

The quake hit on Saturday and measured 6.8 on the Richter scale near the southern town of Balao and was more than 65 km (nearly 41 miles) deep, according to the United States Geological Survey.

According to a tweet from the General Secretariat of Communication of the Ecuadorian Presidency's Twitter account, the earthquake injured an estimated 381 persons, CNN reported.

At least 11 persons lost their lives in the province of El Oro.

The president of Ecuador's communications office stated that at least one further death has been recorded in the province of Azuay.

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Authorities said that a person in Azuay died when a wall fell on top of a car and that at least three of the deceased in El Oro died when a security camera tower collapsed in an earlier statement, reported CNN.

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, as per the report in CNN.

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