Ecuador quake death toll rises to 41: vice-president

At least 41 people have been killed by the powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck western Ecuador and the toll will likely rise further, the country's Vice President Jorge Glas said.

"Sadly the information we currently have is that 41 citizens have lost their lives in this emergency... This death toll will unfortunately rise in the coming hours," Glas said in televised comments.