At least 77 people are killed and hundreds injured after powerful 7.8 earthquake strikes off the central coast of Ecuador, with tremors felt 300 miles away in Colombia

The U.S. Geological Survey said the  quake was centered 16 miles south-southeast of Muisne on the country's coast

At least 77 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in the worst earthquake to hit the country since 1979

It sent residents fleeing for their lives and was felt as far away as Colombia, where it shook Cali and Popayan

A powerful, 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador's central coast on Saturday night, killing at least 77 people and spreading panic hundreds of miles away as it collapsed homes and buckled a major overpass

The death toll was expected to rise today as rescuers reached the sparsely populated area of fishing ports and tourist beaches where the quake was centered

Rescue workers work to pull out survivors trapped in a collapsed building in the city of Manta 

Residents walk on a street amid destroyed buildings following the earthquake last night in Guayaquil, Ecuador

A hotel (left) barely stands after an earthquake in the town of Manta. Right, people look over a car that was crushed when an overpass buckled in Guayaqui

Police officers stand guard next to a collapsed overpass in Guayaquil, Ecuador after the earthquake rattled the area just after nightfall

Police inspect a car that was crushed when the overpass buckled and collapsed during the shaking in the coastal city

People stand next to the debris of a building in Manta, Ecuador.  On social media residents shared photos of homes collapsed, the roof of a shopping center coming apart and supermarket shelves shaking violently

Gabriel Alcivar, the mayor of Pedernales, said: 'There are villages that are totally devastated What happened here in Pedernales is catastrophic. We're trying to do the most we can but there's almost nothing we can do.'

The death toll was expected to rise today as rescuers reached the sparsely populated area of fishing ports and tourist beaches where the  quake was centered.

Residents survey destroyed housing following the earthquake in Guayaquil that has killed at least 77 people and injured hundreds

Among those killed was the driver of a car crushed by an overpass that buckled in Guayaquil, the country's most populous city

In Manta, the airport was closed after the control tower collapsed, injuring an air force official

A man walks along the top of a collapsed building in the immediate aftermath of the deadly earthquake

A group of residents stand on a pile of rubble in which mattresses and other possessions are seen lying within the concrete

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, who is in Rome, called on residents to stay strong while authorities monitor events

A house is left in ruins after the disaster struck last night, sparking fears of a tsunami and sending residents fleeing for their lives

The top floor of this house collapsed during the shaking, while the bottom floor remained intact

The quake was felt across the border in Colombia, where it shook residents in Cali and Popayan, and Peru. Pictured: Patients and relatives wait outside the Colombia Clinic in Cali, Colombia, which was evacuated as a precaution

A group of patients are evacuated from Columbia clinic due to the presence of cracks in the building 

Patients and relatives wait outside the Colombia Clinic in Cali, Colombia

In the capital, the quake was felt for about 40 seconds and people fled to the streets in fear

The shockwaves sent confused residents streaming into the streets of the capital Quito 

A collapsed bridge in Guayaquil, Ecuador, after the powerful earthquake hit the country

A shakemap shows the location of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake near Esmeraldas, some 28km South-southeast of Muisne, near the coast of Ecuador

Cars travel on a darkened street using only their headlights to guide the way after the failure of electrical service in Guayaquil

来源：http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3543976/Strong-earthquake-hits-coast-Ecuador.html