Earthquake Kills Hundreds in Ecuador

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency and deployed some 10,000 armed forces and 3,500 police after the magnitude-7.8 earthquake rocked Ecuador on Sunday. At least 272 people are dead and more than 2,500 injured, and officials said the death toll is likely to rise in what was considered the strongest earthquake to strike the country since 1979. Survivors were being pulled from the rubble as structures continued to collapse. The epicenter was in more sparsely populated areas over 100 miles northwest of the capital Quito. Venezuela and Mexico were among the first countries to send international aid as survivors began lining up for food and other essentials. Colombia announced it would send rescue teams with search dogs and its navy would transport water to affected areas.