Strong earthquake shakes Quito overnight

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake rocked Quito Monday night, collapsing a bridge and triggering landslides that closed several roads. The quake, centered six miles northeast of the city in the town of Puembo, also caused power outages and broke water lines.

Quito Mayor Mauricio Rodas in midnight meeting. (El Comercio)

A spokesman for Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute said the quake occurred on a local fault line and was unrelated to the powerful 7.8 earthquake that devastated much of the country’s north coast in April.

The earthquake was felt intensely throughout the entire Quito area, including in the suburban areas of Cumbaya and Tumbaco. Its intensity was magnified due to the shallowness of the epicenter, only three miles below ground.

“At present, damage has been reported to some homes north of the city,” Quito Mayor Mauricio Rodas said in a tweet just after midnight. “It is early, however, and we will have a much clearer idea of damage on Tuesday morning.” He said no injuries had been reported in the hour following the quake.