Magnitude 6.0 aftershock strikes disaster hit Ecuador: USGS

A magnitude 6.0 aftershock struck near the coast of Ecuador Thursday, as the country struggled to recover from a devastating quake that killed almost 600 people, US experts said.

A magnitude 6.0 aftershock struck near the coast of Ecuador Thursday, as the country struggled to recover from a devastating quake that killed almost 600 people, US experts said.

A couple of persons try to climb on the arm of a mechanical loader after attempting to recover an antenna from the roof of a destroyed building in Canoas, Ecuador. (AP Photo)

The tremor hit at 10:03 pm (0303 GMT Friday) some 20 miles (33 kilometers) north-northwest of Bahia de Caraquez and 36 miles north-northwest of Tosagua, the US Geological Survey said.

AFP reporters in the region felt some shaking but there were no reports of casualties or damage. No tsunami warning was issued.

It was one of numerous aftershocks following Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake, the worst to hit the South American country in nearly four decades.

The official death toll from that quake rose to 587 on Thursday, with 5,733 injured. Scores of people are still missing.