Ecuador: UN reports quake death toll hits 660; donor response poor

At the start of the third week of response to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador, the country’s call for $72.7 million in financial assistance has received little support while the death toll has risen to 660, the United Nations humanitarian aid wing said today, urging donors to contribute to the projects that benefit the affected people.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 23 persons are still missing, nearly 7,000 buildings have been destroyed, and 560 schools have been affected, with 166 of them suffering medium to severe damage.

Health assistance has been provided to 513,762 people, including 4,605 injured during the first 72 hours of the emergency, and the number of people in shelters has decreased to 22,754.

Humanitarian aid continues to reach affected zones, mainly urban centres and shelters. Two missions deployed during the past weekend to Portoviejo and Pedernales, the areas hit hard. A multi-sector initial rapid assessment (MIRA) and assessments by individual sectors are under way.

The Government recently announced the replacement of top officials in the Secretariat for Risk Management (SGR), the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the Secretary of Water (SENAGUA), the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES).

SGR has launched the website ecuadorlistoysolidario.com to channel all forms of national and international relief.