At least 12 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck the southern coast of Ecuador.
Ednews reports citing BBC that buildings have been damaged in several cities following the 6.7 magnitude quake, which hit at around midday local time (17:00 GMT).
The southern province of El Oro was the worst affected, where emergency services have reported people remain trapped inside collapsed houses.
Eleven deaths were in El Oro and one in Azuay province, authorities said.
Machala and Cuenca were among the cities that suffered damage to buildings and vehicles, as emergency services rushed to help people.
The epicentre was near Balao, about 50 miles (80km) from Ecuador's second-largest city, Guayaquil, where about three million people live.
"I went out into the street because I saw people starting to run in panic, getting out of their cars," Magaly Escandon, a businessowner in Cuenca, told the AFP news agency.
President Guillermo Lasso asked Ecuadoreans to remain calm as officials assess the damage.
"Emergency teams are mobilising to offer all their support to those who have been affected," he said.
Mr Lasso's office also confirmed that injured people were being treated in hospital, but did not offer any further details.
