People stand next to the debris of a building after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the country's northwest Pacific coast causing "considerable damage," in Manta, Ecuador.Reuters

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Ecuador Saturday night, killing at least 41 people and likely wounding dozens more.

The tremor struck about 108 miles northeast of Quito, the capital. Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas said the death toll is likely to rise in a televised address to the nation.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for Ecuador after the quake, although severe flooding appears unlikely.

Early reports on social media showed inhabitants in some towns near the earthquake’s epicenter without power.

President Rafael Correa, who was attending a conference in Rome, said via Twitter he would immediately return home.

Ecuador borders the “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active arc that curves around the Pacific Ocean from Australia to South America. Another country along the arc, Japan, also saw large earthquakes last week, killing dozens.

This story will be updated with more information.

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