Ecuadoreans wait for food, water in towns leveled by quake

April 22, 2016 9:54 am • Last Updated: April 23, 2016 1:46 am

By Cristian Kovadloff, Associated Press

Volunteers deliver food and potable water to the people that lost their homes in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Ecuador's Pacific coast, in Canoas, Ecuador, Thursday, April 21, 2016. President Rafael Correa said Ecuador's worst earthquake in decades caused billions of dollars of damage and he is raising sales taxes and putting a one-time levy on millionaires to help pay for reconstruction. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

CANOAS, Ecuador — Ecuadoreans are sleeping outside and struggling to find food and water as aftershocks continue to rock towns flatted by a powerful earthquake.

Virtually every building in the beach town of Canoas has been turned into rubble. Residents sleeping in makeshift shelters say they are just praying that it doesn't rain.

A powerful magnitude-6.0 quake struck off the coast late Thursday, followed by smaller quakes. President Rafael Correa says shaking is to be expected, and is urging people to stay calm and keep their strength up.

Aid workers are warning of delays in water distribution, and say there is also a threat of mosquito-borne illness spreading in camps.

The death count rose to at least 587 on Thursday night as rescuers continued to sort through the rubble.

Karen Farias, in red, plays with friends at a makeshift camp organized by families who lost their homes to the earthquake, in Canoas, Ecuador, Thursday, April 21, 2016. President Rafael Correa said Ecuador's worst earthquake in decades caused billions of dollars of damage and he is raising sales taxes and putting a one-time levy on millionaires to help pay for reconstruction. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Volunteers download bottled water at a makeshift storage facility in Canoas, Ecuador, Thursday, April 21, 2016. President Rafael Correa said Ecuador's worst earthquake in decades caused billions of dollars of damage and he is raising sales taxes and putting a one-time levy on millionaires to help pay for reconstruction. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Residents comb through a field, salvaging recyclable material from post-earthquake debris, in Manta, Ecuador, Wednesday, April 20, 2016. Ecuadoreans began burying loved ones felled by the country's deadliest earthquake in decades, while hopes faded that more survivors will be found. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A couple of persons try to climb on the arm of a mechanical loader after attempting to recover an antenna from the roof of a destroyed building in Canoas, Ecuador, Thursday, April 21, 2016. President Rafael Correa said Ecuador's worst earthquake in decades caused billions of dollars of damage and he is raising sales taxes and putting a one-time levy on millionaires to help pay for reconstruction. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.

STORIES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU