#HTE1,700 People are Still Missing After Ecuador’s Earthquake (32 photos)
Government officials in Ecuador are now reporting 525 deaths were caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off the Pacific coast on April 16—but they fear the tally could climb much higher, since as many as 1,700 are still listed as missing, and recovery efforts have just begun. The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades tore up highways, knocked down hundreds of buildings in communities along the coast. Rescuers are still hoping to find survivors amid the rubble who may have been trapped for days—more than 50 have already been rescued since Saturday.
View of a fallen building after a 7.8-magnitude quake in Portoviejo, Ecuador, on April 17, 2016.
(Juan Cevallos / AFP / Getty)