3rd LD Writethru: 6 people injured in strong earthquake in Ecuador

Six people were injured in an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale that struck western Ecuador early Wednesday morning, said the country's Secretariat for Risk Management (SGR).

The SGR said data provided by local health authorities showed that five people had received minor wounds when trying to leave their homes. A collapsed wall also injured one person in Muisne.

The Secretariat reported power failure in some coastal areas, including Atacames, Muisne and Mompiche.

The powerful quake occurred at 02:57:04 local time (07:57:04 GMT), with the epicenter located about 34 kilometers from Rosa Zarate and 60 kilometers from Esmeraldas at a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geographical Survey.

The Geophysical Institute of Ecuador also recorded the earthquake, saying that it was an aftershock of the magnitude 7.8 quake that took place on April 16, killing more than 650 people and injuring around 16,600.

The Geophysical Institute revealed that Wednesday's event is similar to the one registered in 1942 in the area in front of Jama, which presented a series of aftershocks during two months.

The aftershock was felt strongly in the cities of Esmeraldas and Pedernales, as well as in other parts of the country with less intensity, including Quito and Guayaquil, where many residents took to the streets in the cold morning.

A recent report by the Emergency Operations Committee (COE, in Spanish), led by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, said that so far only minor damages have been reported in areas near the epicenter and electric dams are in good condition.

Correa has activated the COE at the headquarters of the Integrated Security Service ECU911 in Quito to assess the situation, and at the same time provincial COEs were installed in several areas.

"There are no damages reported. There is no tsunami warning. The vice president has gone to the ECU911 of Portoviejo," Correa tweeted. Endit