A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck off the coast of Ecuador late on Saturday, causing “considerable damage,” according to the country’s government. <br /><br /> According to the country’s vice-president, dozens of people have been killed. <br /><br /> The national guard has been deployed to maintain public order.<br /><br /> The quake sent confused residents streaming into the streets of the capital Quito and spurred warnings of strong waves on the Andean nation’s coast.<br /><br /> “I was in my house watching a movie and everything started to shake,” said Lorena Cazares, a telecommunications worker in Quito.“I ran out into the street and now I don’t know what’s going to happen.”<br /><br /> Some parts of the capital were without power or telephone service, with many communicating only via Whatsapp. Photos on social media showed cracks in the walls of shopping centers.<br /><br /> The US. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.8, though Ecuador’s Institute of Geophysics on its Twitter account published several different
