A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near Esmeraldas, Ecuador, on Friday April 25, 2025, at 11:44 UTC (06:44 local time). The epicenter was located approximately 20.9 km (13 miles) northeast of Esmeraldas at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) .
Impact and Damage
The earthquake caused significant damage across the region. According to Ecuador’s National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR), at least 179 homes collapsed, and 716 others sustained varying degrees of damage. Additionally, 88 other buildings, including 18 schools, four health centers, and one military facility, were affected. Damage was also reported to two bridges—one in the 5 de Agosto parish and another in Muisne—and approximately 60 meters (195 feet) of roads .
Power and communication outages impacted up to 90% of households in Esmeraldas. Petroecuador temporarily suspended operations at the Esmeraldas Refinery and the SOTE pipeline for inspections; the refinery remained shut as of April 26, pending safety checks .
Humanitarian Response
President Daniel Noboa deployed all government ministers to Esmeraldas to coordinate relief efforts, including establishing shelters, delivering humanitarian aid kits, and supporting affected communities. As of April 26, a total of 90 people were housed in a temporary shelter at the Teldoro Morán educational unit in the Tachina parish .
Regional Context
Ecuador’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Nazca and South American plates converge, makes it prone to earthquakes. The 2016 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Esmeraldas and Manabí killed 676 people and destroyed thousands of structures. The 1906 8.8-magnitude earthquake near Esmeraldas triggered a tsunami that resulted in hundreds of fatalities along the coasts of Ecuador and Colombia .
Ongoing Efforts
Damage assessments in rural areas are still ongoing, with most reports so far focusing on Esmeraldas city. The Armed Forces of Ecuador have intensified security and rescue operations in various sectors of the province to assist in recovery efforts .
Earthquake damage Object Detection Dataset and Pre-Trained Model by Saitama university Creative C 4 0 | Picture for illustration
