Ecuador to mark one-year anniversary of deadly quake

Ecuador will hold an open-air mass on Sunday to mark the one-year anniversary of a deadly earthquake that rumbled through the country's north coast on April 16, 2016, President Rafael Correa said on Saturday.

The powerful 7.8-magnitude quake killed 673 people and devastated coastal communities, causing more than 3.3 billion U.S. dollars in losses and leaving some 12,000 people homeless.

The department of Manabi, the epicenter of the quake, and neighboring Esmeraldas were the worst hit.

During his regularly scheduled weekly broadcast, Correa said the ceremony to be held at the central park of Pedernales, the nearest town of the epicenter, will pay homage to the hundreds who died in the natural disaster.

"Tomorrow, with thousands of Manabi residents and Ecuadorians from all over the country, in Pedernales, the quake's epicenter, we will remember the tragedy a year on, we will remember those who died," said Correa, adding the rebuilding effort has made "very rapid progress."

He also touted one of his government's key projects, the Chinese-designed emergency hotline ECU 911, for making the search and rescue efforts in the immediate aftermath of the quake so effective.

"It is the best integrated security system in all of Latin America," said Correa. Endit