3 survivors found 5 days after Ecuador quake

By Senabri Silvestre

SANTO DOMINGO. Dom. Rep.

Three survivors were rescued in Ecuador, five days after a devastating earthquake hit the country’s northern coast leaving almost 600 dead.

The survivors were found under the rubble in the area known as the “ground zero” in Tarqui, Manta Mayor Jorge Zambrano said Thursday.

"Last night we saved three more people but today we could only find corpses", he told local media.

Zambrano said rescuers searched several buildings but did not find survivors, as a result, operations will now shift to the use of heavy machinery.

“I still hope that we can find someone alive under the rubble,” he said. “We have to work very carefully, with utmost care,” he said.

The magnitude-7.8 quake has killed at least 587 victims, according to the latest official count.

Another 155 others are missing, 7,015 injured, 25,362 are in shelters, 1,215 buildings destroyed and 829 damaged.

Losses by the quake could reach $3 billion, according to an estimate by President Rafael Correa.

The government has taken fiscal measures to help raise funds to pay for reconstruction efforts, including a two-point increase to the value added tax, currently set at 12 percent.

For workers earning between $1,000 and $5,000 dollars during a 30-day period, a one-time donation of $33 or $166 over the course of five months, will be required.

Ecuador hopes the measures will collect between $600 million and $1 billion, according to Economy Minister Patricio Rivera.

The country has already received $160 million of a $600 million line of credit opened by multilateral lenders, Correa said.