A deep earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck the Peru-Ecuador border region early on February 22 morning, the United States Geological Survey said.
The quake’s epicentre was in a sparsely populated area 224 km east-southeast of Ambato, Ecuador, at a depth of 132 km. The USGS’s initial reading had assessed the quake, which occurred at 5.17 a.m. loacl time (3.47 p.m. IST), at magnitude 7.7.
There was no risk of a tsunami being triggered, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said, and there were no initial reports of casualties or damage.
One resident in Cuenca, Ecuador, 253 km from the epicentre, described the temblor as very strong, while a second resident in the same city reported experiencing “a good 30 second shake”, according to witness statements on the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre website.
