Earthquake kills 246 in Ecuador; people still trapped - Reuters

PEDERNALES, Ecuador (Reuters) - The death toll from Ecuador's biggest earthquake in decades soared to at least 246 on Sunday as rescuers using tractors and bare hands hunted desperately for survivors in shattered coastal towns.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday and was felt around the Andean nation of 16 million people, causing panic as far away as the highland capital Quito and collapsing buildings and roads in a swath of western towns.

President Rafael Correa rushed home from a trip to Italy to supervise the emergency and was due to address the nation on Sunday evening. "The immediate priority is to rescue people in the rubble," he said on Twitter.

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