7.4-magnitude quake strikes Ecuador

MUISNE, Ecuador, April 16 (UPI) — A magnitude-7.4 earthquake has struck coastal Ecuador, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The quake was reported just before 7 p.m. local time, about 17 miles south of Muisne, Ecuador.

A tsunami warning has been issued for areas of coastal Ecuador and Colombia. It extends roughly 185 miles (300 kilometers) north and south from the epicenter of the quake. The Chilean coast is not part of the tsunami warning area.

There were no immediate reports indicating the severity of the damages in the region, or a casualty count.

The earthquake was fairly shallow, about 12.5 miles below ground level.

The quake comes after a trio of powerful temblors struck on the opposite side of the Pacific in Japan form Thursday to Saturday, the strongest of which was magnitude-7.4, and is estimated to have killed up to 32 people there.

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