QUITO, Ecuador -- A 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador's central coast on Saturday, killing at least 41 people.
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The U.S. Geological Survey said the shallow quake, the strongest in decades to hit Ecuador, was centered 16 miles south-southeast of Muisne, in a sparsely populated area of fishing ports that's popular with tourists.
Vice President Jorge Glas said in a televised address that there were initial reports of 41 dead in the cities of Manta, Portoviejo and Guayaquil. Among those killed was the driver of a car crushed by an overpass that buckled in Guayaquil, the country's most populous city, hundreds of miles from the epicenter.
President Rafael Correa, who is at the Vatican after attending a papal conference, called on Ecuadoreans to show strength while authorities monitor events.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said such waves were possible. Although the government hadn't issued a tsunami alert, Glas urged residents along the coast to move to higher ground. Towns near the epicenter were also being evacuated as a precaution. An emergency had been declared in six provinces, Glas said.
"It's very important that Ecuadoreans remain calm during this emergency," he said.
In the capital, the quake was felt for about 40 seconds, and people fled to the streets in fear. Quito is about 105 miles from the quake's epicenter. The quake knocked out electricity and cellphone coverage in several neighborhoods in the capital.
The Geological Survey originally put the quake at a magnitude of 7.4, then raised it to 7.8. It had a depth of about 12 miles.
Several aftershocks, some as strong as 5.6 on the Richter scale, continued in the hour after the first quake, which occurred at nightfall.
Information for this article was contributed by Joshua Goodman of The Associated Press.
A Section on 04/17/2016