5,050 people killed in Ambato earthquake 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 5 1949)


Video: '5,000 Die In Earthquake (1949)'

(Friday, August 5, 1949, 2:08:52 p.m. Ecuador Time) — 5,050 people were killed and about 20,000 injured today in the 1949 Ambato earthquake that destroyed dozens of towns in Ecuador.

The earthquake severely affected some 30 communities and left approximately 100,000 people homeless.