Manta

BELGRADE - At least 77 people have lost their lives in Ecuador following a strong earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale that struck off the northwest Pacific coast late on Saturday.

According to the El Telegrafo newspaper, 16 people were killed in the city of Portoviejo, 10 died in the city of Manta and two others became victims of the quake in the Guayas province.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa says the death toll from a magnitude-7.8 earthquake has risen to 233. Correa sent the new figure on his official Twitter account while flying home from Rome to deal with the emergency.

A powerful earthquake killed at least 77 people, injured hundreds more, ravaged coastal towns and sent residents fleeing for higher ground in Ecuador on April 16 night.

At least 41 people were killed in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the west of Ecuador in the early hours of Sunday. The epicentre of the earthquake was 20 km deep and was felt throughout the whole country, while sources say the injured are expected to be in their hundreds. There have been extensive damages though out the country, while a tsunami warning has been issued.