5.5 magnitude earthquake rocks Ecuador; no injuries or damage reported

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Monday said a powerful 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook the area of Machala in Ecuador, but there were no reports of any damages or casualties as yet.

According to the USGS, the earthquake struck at a depth of 60.6 kilometres (37.66 miles), and minor vibrations were likely felt across much of southern Ecuador and into far northwest Peru.

Additionally, although major damage is unlikely, no injuries or structural damage have yet been reported, according to local media.

Furthermore, officials may take some time to do full damage assessments, especially in remote areas, and minor aftershocks are anticipated to occur over the next few days.

Officials may temporarily shut down the transport network to check for damage in the seismic zone. There may be minor outages during shutdowns, but if there is no damage, service may quickly resume.

Utility outages are possible, especially near the earthquake's core.

Recently, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that shook California on Sunday near Ojai was followed by the quake on Monday, which was felt throughout the area as the potent hurricane Hilary approached the state.

However, there was no threat of a tsunami from the earthquake, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.

On Thursday, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake activated sirens and briefly caused fear on the streets of Bogota, Colombia.