Ecuador, Peru authorities assess damage after earthquake that killed at least 15

Ecuadorian and Peruvian authorities worked on Sunday to address the damage caused by the strong earthquake that shook the region the previous day, leaving at least 15 dead and hundreds injured.
The 6.8 magnitude quake struck the Ecuadorian coastal province of Guayas at midday on Saturday, with residents reporting shaking in much of the country as well as in Peru’s northern border towns.
“Our goal is to take immediate actions that return us to normality,” President Guillermo Lasso said in a video Sunday evening. “You have my full support to repair all the damage as soon as possible, for which the Ministry of Finance has already allocated the necessary resources.”
Lasso reported 14 fatalities, as well as more than 460 people with injuries. He said 89 homes had been destroyed and another 192 affected. Dozens of health centers and educational units also registered impacts, he said.
He said the government had created a housing lease voucher and would acquire homes in which families who lost their homes could stay.