(CNA) A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit coastal Ecuador and northern Peru today, killing at least four people and damaging buildings.

"I appeal to people to remain calm and get information through official channels," Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso tweeted.

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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at a magnitude of 6.8, with a focal depth of 66.4 kilometers, and its epicenter was about 10 kilometers away from the city of Balao in the province of Guayas (Guayas).

Authorities said the possibility of a tsunami from the quake was extremely low.

The Ecuadorian Risk Management Agency stated in a statement that in the city of Cuenca, a car was crushed by a collapsed wall, killing one person; in Machala, three people were killed and several buildings collapsed. Including a two-story home and a marina, there are also multiple community outages.

The quake also caused damage to buildings in two other Ecuadorian provinces, including the collapse of a supermarket wall.

More than half of the country's 24 provinces could feel strong shaking.

According to Ecuador's Geophysics Institute, there were two weaker aftershocks within an hour of the quake.

Peruvian authorities said the tremor was felt in the north of the country, but there were no reports of casualties or damage to buildings.

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