Two strong quakes jolt Ecuador coast

The US Geological Service said the two quakes struck south of Ecuador's coastal city of Esmeraldas. Image / USGS

Two strong earthquakes shook the northwestern coastal area of Ecuador this afternoon.

Authorities say there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries, reports Associated Press.

A deadly quake killed 663 people in the same area in April.

The United States Geological Service said the first quake was at magnitude 5.9 and centred about 41km south of the coastal city of Esmeraldas.

The second measured 6.4 and struck 10 minutes later in the same area, the USGS said.

Prelim M6.4 earthquake near the coast of Ecuador Jul-11 02:11 UTC, updates https://t.co/wnQvtYCFwZ

— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) July 11, 2016

Both were at a depth of about 35km below the surface.

Some slight shaking was felt in Ecuador's capital of Quito, which is 153km to the southeast.

The quakes hit in the same general region where a magnitude 7.8 quake struck in the town of Pedernales on April 16, in Ecuador's worst natural disaster in decades, killing 663 people and leaving nearly 29,000 homeless.

David Zinger, whose son has been working in Ecuador as a volunteer following the April quake, described his son's concern about the new quakes.

My son in a new earth quake in Ecuador texting some people anxious. He returned to help out.

— David Zinger (@davidzinger) July 11, 2016

Los Angeles Fox News reporter Gigi Graciette, who is 5437km away, also tweeted her concern, saying her dogs had woken up and were nervous. She wondered if that was because of the Ecuador quake.

Graciette, who reports for Fox 11 and Good Day LA, works as a dogcatcher in her spare time.

My dogs, who were sound asleep, now awake + nervous. Little Wish shaking. Could they feel seismic motion from 6.4 Ecuador quake an hour ago?

— Gigi Graciette (@GigiGraciette) July 11, 2016

Ecuador's Geophysics Institute says there have been more than 2100 aftershocks since the April quake, including several around magnitude 6.

Additional reporting by AP.