The death toll from the earthquake in Ecuador rose to 553 on Wednesday, with more than 7,000 people injured and 163 others still unaccounted for, the country's public prosecutor's office said.

Disaster workers were struggling to distribute potable water amid widespread destruction caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, which struck Ecuador’s north-west coast on Saturday evening, the emergency management agency, SNGR, said.

Two strong aftershocks shook the country on Wednesday morning. The quakes of 6.1 and 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale were the most powerful of more than 400 aftershocks that have hit Ecuador since Saturday.

More than 23,500 people have fled their homes for shelters, SNGR said. Ecuadoran President, Rafael Correa, estimated the damage at US$3 billion.

Source :WAM