iStock/Thinkstock(QUITO, Ecuador) — Ecuador, still recovering from the economic and human toll of the major earthquake that rocked the South American country last month, was hit Wednesday morning by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.
The aftershock struck shortly before 3 a.m. local time and had a shallow depth of about 20 miles below the earth’s surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The event frightened already traumatized residents, thousands of whom have been displaced in the wake of the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck the country April 16, killing 661 people.
President Rafael Correa said Ecuador, which borders the Pacific Ocean, did not face a tsunami alert.
“These sort of aftershocks are normal but that doesn’t mean they’re not scary, and can cause damage,” Correa said in a televised address.
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