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UN reports quake death toll hits 660 in Ecuador

Xinhua, May 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

At the start of the third week of response to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador, the UN humanitarian aid wing on Friday said that the death toll has risen to 660.

The latest death toll came as the Andean country's call for 72.7 million U.S. dollars in financial assistance has received little support, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, urging donors to contribute to the projects that benefit the affected people.

OCHA said that 23 persons are still missing, nearly 7,000 buildings have been destroyed, and 560 schools have been affected, with 166 of them suffering medium to severe damage.

Health assistance has been provided to 513,762 people, including 4,605 injured during the first 72 hours of the emergency, and the number of people in shelters has decreased to 22,754.

Humanitarian aid continues to reach affected zones, mainly urban centers and shelters. Two missions deployed during the past weekend to Portoviejo and Pedernales, the areas hit hard. A multi-sector initial rapid assessment (MIRA) and assessments by individual sectors are under way.

The government of Ecuador recently announced the replacement of top officials in the Secretariat for Risk Management (SGR), the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the Secretary of Water (SENAGUA), the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES).

SGR has launched the website ecuadorlistoysolidario.com to channel all forms of national and international relief. Enditem