Authorities in Ecuador and Peru evaluate the damage caused by an earthquake that killed at least 15

Authorities from Ecuador and Peru worked on Sunday to repair the damage brought on by the powerful earthquake that shook the area the previous day and left at least 15 people dead and hundreds injured.

The 6.8 magnitude quake struck the Ecuadorian coastal province of Guayas at midday on Saturday, with residents reporting shaking in much of the country as well as in Peru's northern border towns.

"Our goal is to take immediate actions that return us to normality," President Guillermo Lasso said in a video Sunday evening. "The Ministry of Finance has already allocated the necessary funds for you to repair all the damage as soon as possible, and I give you my full support in doing so."

14 fatalities and more than 460 injuries were reported by Lasso. According to him, 189 additional homes had been damaged, bringing the total to 89. According to him, dozens of medical facilities and educational facilities also noticed effects.

He claimed that families who lost their homes could stay there thanks to the government's creation of housing lease vouchers and its plan to buy homes.
The Risk Management Secretariat announced that early on Sunday it dispatched a team to Puna Island, close to the earthquake's epicenter, to assess needs and distribute humanitarian aid.

According to the state-run oil company Petroecuador, six oil fields were affected by an electrical issue that reduced production by about 17,400 barrels of oil.

According to Petroecuador, damage to an offshore platform close to the epicenter resulted in machinery failure and temporarily reduced production. The company estimated the production loss at more than 20.5 million cubic feet per day.

The essential services and transportation infrastructure were unaffected, according to Peruvian authorities, who also reported one death, four homes that collapsed, and five more that were left uninhabitable.

Pope Francis expressed his sympathies for the victims of the earthquake and "all those who suffer" during his sermon on Sunday. Other governments, like those of Chile and Cuba, expressed their solidarity.

The so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast region surrounding the Pacific Ocean where collisions between continental plates occur frequently, includes Ecuador and Peru.