A 6.8 earthquake has struck the southern town of Baláo of southern Ecuador on Saturday afternoon.
The government disclosed in a statement that atleast four people have died from the disaster.
The earthquake more than 65 km (nearly 41 miles) deep, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Authorities said one person died in the city of Cuenca, in the province of Azuay, when a wall collapsed onto their car, and three others died in Jambelí Island, in the province of El Oro, when a security camera tower fell on them.
The USGS gave the tremor an “orange alert,” stating that “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.
A CNN afiliate, Ecuavisa reported that structural damage to buildings in Cuenca, one of the country’s biggest cities.
The historic city is in the UN list of world heritage sites.
However, the airports of Guayaquil and Cuenca were open and operational.
The economic losses from the earthquake is yet to be ascertained.
