Earthquake in Ecuador: The number of people killed increased 238

Ecuadorian officials said the death toll in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on April 17 has reached 238.

According to the AP, rescue workers are still trying their best to save those trapped in the ruins of buildings in the quake that are considered the strongest in Ecuador for decades.

The Vice President of Ecuador Jorge Glas said the death toll could continue to rise. The earthquake caused the most damage in the cities of Manta and Portoviejo, a few hundred kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake.

In the town of Pedernales, where 40,000 people live, many people are preparing for the second night in a row on the street."We did our best but we couldn't do much," said town head Gabriel Alcivar.

Mr. Alcivar also asked Ecuadorian officials to take machines and lifeguards to look for people still in the rubble. Mr. Alcivar also said that looting has occurred in a chaotic situation but local authorities are too busy to save people, so they have not re-established order.

"Not just a few buildings but the whole town collapsed after the earthquake," said Alcivar.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has had to shorten his Italian trip to directly monitor the situation. Correa declared a state of emergency across the country and demanded that Ecuadorians be strong.

Ecuadorian rescue workers seek to bring people trapped in the rubble out.(Photo Reuters).

"We can rebuild everything except human life and that's the most painful thing," Correa said just before leaving Rome for Manta.

The Ecuadorian government has sent 14,000 police and soldiers to towns near the quake's epicenter. They tried to use their hands to dig in the ruins of Portoviejo in order to find survivors.

Portoviejo officials are setting up local camps and field hospitals, while residents here say they feel like the whole town has been flattened.