Powerful earthquake hits Ecuador;at least 41 killed

Hehe...A major earthquake hit Ecuador's central coast, killing at least 41 people as it rattled homeshundreds of miles away and collapsed a major overpass, authorities said. The magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Saturday night and was centered near the coast, Vice President Jorge Glas said in a televised address.The death toll may go up as more information comes in, he said .A state of emergency is in effect for six provinces, but Glas urged those who left their homes in coastal areas to return

because"no tsunami alert exists."The tremor was centered 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) south-southeast of the coastal town of Muisne, according to the United States Geological Survey.  In Guayaquil, the nation's most populous city, emergency officials recovered one body from the scene of a bridge collapse, police told local media.Elsewhere in the city of 2 million people, the earthquake left shoppers shaken. Video from a store showed kitchen utensils swinging back and forth as some items tumbled off shelves. Some areas in the city lost power.There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the capital of Quito, 173 kilometers (108 miles) from the epicenter of the earthquake .The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert saying a tsunami threat from the Ecuador quake has "mostly passed."An earlier warning for other nations with coastlines on the Pacific was canceled.