A strong, 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean near Ecuador on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The temblor happened at 6:44 a.m. Ecuador time about 12 miles northeast of Esmeraldas,

The quake damaged homes and public buildings, and caused widespread power cuts.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near the coast of Ecuador on Friday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, injuring at least 20 people, damaging buildings in the city of Esmeraldas and temporarily shutting down some oil infrastructure.