Ecuador Earthquake: Georgia-based Organization Responds

ATLANTA, GA -- Georgia-based MAP International is responding to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador on Saturday.

"We're hearing that several remote villages have been wiped out," said spokesperson Katie Pace. "The Ecuadorian government says the death toll is about 350, and that's expected to rise. At least 500 people have been injured.

"Right now we're waiting on the Ecuadorian government to tell us what they need," said . "The government is very well organized and is responding efficiently."

MAP is a global Christian health and relief organization, and treats more than 10 million people worldwide for medical issues. It also provides assistance when natural disasters or diseases and plagues strike. The organization is headquartered in Brunswick, near Georgia's shipping ports, but has corporate offices in Atlanta.

It also has offices in eight countries worldwide, including Ecuador. "People are still being pulled from the rubble," Pace said. "There has been at least one confirmed aftershock that happened on Sunday."

The earthquake was felt Saturday in the capital Quito and in parts of neighboring Peru and Colombia. The earthquake is the deadliest in the country since 1979 and was said to be about six times as powerful as the quake that struck southern Japan a day earlier.

According to the USGS, the Ecuador quake had a depth of nearly 12 miles. The tsunami threat from the quake has passed.

Image via USGS