Quito, 25 April

A strong 6.3 earthquake off Ecuador's Pacific coast shook the northern part of the country Friday, with some initial reports of some damages to houses. No injuries were reported.

The earthquake was centred in the Pacific Ocean 20.9 km northeast of the city of Esmeraldas, and it had a depth of 35 km, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Ecuador's risk management office said on X that the earthquake was felt in at least 10 provinces, but it's still monitoring and assessing the situation.

Some local media showed images of Esmeraldas, the coastal town in the Pacific closest to the epicentre, where the facades of some houses suffered damage.

Esmeraldas is more than 296 km northwest of Quito, Ecuador's capital.

Ecuadorean authorities initially issued a tsunami alert for the Pacific coast, but it was cancelled a little later.