The epicentre of the quake, which struck at a depth of 9km, was located 8.49 km from Quito, the geophysics institute said on social media network X.

Residents ran out of their homes into the streets when the tremor struck just after midnight local time, footage released by Ecuador’s emergency services department showed.

Some neighbourhoods of the capital Quito were plunged into an electricity blackout, Quito mayor Pabel Munoz said in a post on X.

“The airport, metro, landfills, water production plants and landfills” suffered no significant damage, he added.

Quito residents said on social media that they felt strong shaking and some reported cracked walls.

The quake was also felt strongly in at least two provinces neighbouring Pichincha, where the capital is located, according to the Geophysical Institute.

Fifteen people were killed when a strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Ecuador’s southwestern border region with Peru in March 2023.