1 dead after two powerful earthquakes hit Ecuador

People stand in a Quito street following an earthquake.
(Image credit: Rodrigo Buendia/AFP/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, two earthquakes hit the coast of Ecuador, killing one and causing some damage to structures.

President Rafael Correa said the first 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck overnight, with the epicenter the fishing village of Mompiche, 229 miles from Quito. The second earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.8, rattled 15 miles north of Rosa Zarate just before midday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Correa said the person who was killed was a senior citizen in the city of Tosagua, and some people were slightly injured as they ran out of buildings. Last month, more than 650 people were killed after a magnitude 7.8 quake rocked Ecuador.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.