Magnitude 6.5 earthquake shakes Ecuador; no immediate reports of damage

QUITO: A magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook an island region of Ecuador on Saturday, causing inhabitants to rush out of buildings but there were no immediate official reports of damage to people or infrastructure.

Social media users reported some damage to buildings in the area after the earthquake, which had an epicenter 29 kilometers (18.02 miles) from the city of Balao in the province of Guayas. Those reports could not be independently verified by Reuters.

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Authorities said the earthquake did not appear likely to generate a tsunami.

State-run oil company Petroecuador said there were no reports of damage at any facilities and "that operations continue normally."