At least 15 people have died after an earthquake in Ecuador that was so powerful it was felt in neighbouring Peru and sent panicked neighbours running into the streets.
A number of buildings are said to have collapsed from the 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck shortly after midday local time, and was reportedly followed by a second, smaller, 4.8 magnitude quake.
The epicentre was believed to be just a few kilometres offshore, in the south of the country in the coastal Guayas region, and about 66km below the surface according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso, said in a televised address that 12 people had been killed and asked people to remain calm as the government moved to help those worst affected.
Three people, including a baby, were said to have been killed when a house collapsed in Machala, in the south-west of the country.
They, along with most of the deaths, took place in the costal state of El Oro, but in Cuenca, in the south, debris fell from a house and crushed a car in the road, killing a passenger.
Search and rescue operations are underway but officials warned the death toll could rise.
Debris has been left littering streets and in some places people have been left trapped under the rubble in El Oro, according to Ecuador's emergency response agency.
In the community of Machala, a two-storey home collapsed before the people inside could be evacuated and a pier gave way and collapsed too, becoming partly submerged.
In a statement shared on Twitter, the president said: "The Government has been activated on an emergency basis and the necessary care is being provided to those affected by this tremor.
"So far, 12 deaths have been reported (11 in the province of El Oro and one in the province of Azuay).
"There are injured people who are being treated promptly in hospitals. There are houses destroyed in the provinces of El Oro and Azuay."
They added that the government was undertaking inspections in a number of zones as well.
One video shared online shows the aftermath of the earthquake with emergency workers surrounding a car that has had the top crushed by debris that fell from houses.
The natural disaster also interrupted a live TV broadcast, terrifying hosts as they clung to their desks as the building shook before the stream was cut off.
At first they tried to dismiss the tremors as a minor quake before one host raced off camera and another said "my god, my god,".
Whilst a number of buildings have collapsed, local media are reporting that damage isn't thought to be too widespread and there is said to be no risk of a tsunami.
Videos shared on social media show people gathering on the streets of Guayaquil and nearby communities.
One video shows water sloshing back and forth in a large fountain as the country was shook by the earthquake, and crowds of people fled in terror.
People reported objects falling inside their homes in Guayaquil, part of an urban area of more than three million people about 170 miles (270 kilometres) south west of the capital, Quito.
According to computer models from the USGS, up 13.5 million people could have felt Saturday’s earthquake, including 5.1 million people who experienced “strong” to “very strong” shaking.
