7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Ecuador

Residents survey destroyed housing follwoing an earthquake, April 16, 2016 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. At least 28 people were killed by a strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck northwestern Ecuador, the country's Vice President Jorge Glas said. / AFP-Yonhap

By Kim Da-hee

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador’s central coast Saturday (local time), killing at least 41 people and injuring hundreds of others.

At least one house and an overpass collapsed in the port city of Guayaquil, The Associated Press, citing local media, said.

The U.S. Geological Survey issued a tsunami warning for coasts within 300 kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter.

Ecuadorian authorities said the death toll is expected to rise because many people are feared trapped in the collapsed buildings.

The quake happened about 173 kilometers northwest of the capital, Quito, and 28 kilometers southeast of Muisne, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the U.S. agency said.

The powerful quake came after two big earthquakes hit southern Japan on Friday and Saturday, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds more.