Two strong quakes rock Bahia de Caraquez

Still struggling to recover from the devastating April 16 earthquake, Bahia de Caraquez was the epicenter of two strong earthquakes late Thursday night. The quakes, considered aftershocks of the April 16 event, hit just before midnight and measured 5.5 and 4.6 on the Richter scale according to Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute.

Bahia de Caraquez following April 16 quake.

The earthquakes come a day after the Esmeraldas area, to the north, recorded almost 40 aftershocks ranging from 3.1 to 4.9 magnitude.

According to a Tweet from the Bahia volunteer fire department, the quakes caused several small structures that had been damaged in the April 16 magnitude 7.8 earthquake to collapse. It said that a thorough assessment would be made on Friday.

The Geophysical Institute said that the Esmeraldas quakes were the result of a “tectonic plate adjustment” as a result of the April 16 earthquake that was centered 30 kilometers to the south. The Bahia quakes occurred close to the epicenter of the April 16 earthquake.

Ecuador’s north coast has recorded more than 2,000 aftershocks from the April 16 earthquake.