2016 Ecuador earthquake

==Earthquake==
{{expand section|date=April 2016}}
[[File:Shakemap Ecuador April 2016.jpg|thumb|left|[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] shakemap for the event]]
At 18:58&nbsp;[[Time in Ecuador|ECT]] on April 16, a 7.8&nbsp;[[Moment magnitude scale|M<sub>w</sub>]] earthquake struck the coast of [[Ecuador]] approximately {{convert|27|km|mi|abbr=on}} south-southeast of [[Muisne]], in the province of [[Esmeraldas Province|Esmeraldas]], at a depth of {{convert|20.6|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="USGS-Muisne" />
Tremors were felt in neighboring Colombia and Peru;<ref name="USAT_1">{{cite news|newspaper=USA Today|first1=Chris|last1=Woodyard|first2=Steph|last2=Solis|date=April 16, 2016|access-date=April 16, 2016|title=77 killed, hundreds injured in Ecuador's 7.8 earthquake|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/16/ecuador-capital-sways-74-earthquake/83143472/}}</ref> a clinic in [[Cali, Colombia]], was evacuated as a precautionary measure.<ref name="BBC_1"/> A [[tsunami]] alert was issued by the [[Pacific Tsunami Warning Center]] for Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, Panama, and Peru.<ref name="USAT_1"/><ref>{{cite news|author=Avinesh Gopal|newspaper=Fiji Times|date=April 17, 2016|access-date=April 17, 2016|title=Tsunami warning for Fiji|url=http://fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=350066|archive-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420053442/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=350066|url-status=dead}}</ref> This is the largest earthquake to strike Ecuador since the [[1979 Tumaco earthquake]].<ref name="NBC_1">{{cite news|agency=Reuters|first1=Phil|last1=Helsel|first2=Andrew|last2=Rudansky|first3=Gemma|last3=Dicasimirro|work=NBC News|date=April 16, 2016|access-date=April 16, 2016|title=77 Dead After 7.8-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Near Ecuador's Coast|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/7-8-magnitude-earthquake-hits-near-ecuador-s-coast-usgs-n557181}}</ref>
According to Mayor Gabriel Alcivar, much of the town of [[Pedernales, Ecuador|Pedernales]], about 35&nbsp;km to the [[Points of the compass|south-southwest]] of the earthquake's epicenter, was leveled. In [[Guayaquil, Ecuador|Guayaquil]]—approximately {{convert|300|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the epicenter—an overpass collapsed on a car, killing the driver.<ref name="BBC_1">{{cite news|work=BBC News|date=April 16, 2016|access-date=April 16, 2016|title=Ecuador earthquake of 7.8 magnitude kills dozens|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36065551}}</ref> In [[Manta, Ecuador|Manta]] the control tower of the airport was severely damaged;<ref name="Initial reports of damage">{{cite news|url=http://abc7.com/news/78-magnitude-earthquake-hits-near-ecuador-according-to-usgs/1295047/ |title=7.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Ecuador, according to USGS |agency=Associated Press |date=April 16, 2016 |access-date=April 16, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417073345/http://abc7.com/news/78-magnitude-earthquake-hits-near-ecuador-according-to-usgs/1295047/ |archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> an Air Force officer was injured and the airport closed.<ref name="CBS_1"/> Six homes collapsed and many others lost power in the nation's capital city of [[Quito]].<ref name="NYP_1">{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=New York Post|date=April 16, 2016|access-date=April 16, 2016|title=Massive Ecuador earthquake kills at least 41|url=https://nypost.com/2016/04/16/massive-earthquake-hits-ecuador/}}</ref>

The earthquake was presaged by a magnitude 4.8 foreshock eleven minutes before the main quake struck,<ref>{{cite web|title=M4.8 - 21km N of Pedernales, Ecuador |date=April 17, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005j2w |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418144333/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005j2w |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> and followed by over fifty-five aftershocks in the first twenty-four hours.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shankar |first=Sneha |title=Ecuador Earthquake: Death Toll Soars, Aftershocks Reported |date=April 17, 2016 |newspaper=International Business Times |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/ecuador-earthquake-death-toll-soars-aftershocks-reported-2355035 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418173416/http://www.ibtimes.com/ecuador-earthquake-death-toll-soars-aftershocks-reported-2355035 |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref>