Ecuador hit by 5.1-magnitude quake

QUITO, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale Monday hit the city of Esmeraldas in northern Ecuador, close to the Colombia border, the nation's Geophysics Institute said.

The institute said the quake hit at 1:10 p.m. local time (1810 GMT) with its epicenter some 12 km below the earth's surface.

No victims or serious damage have been reported so far, but the quake was felt strongly in Esmeraldas and Quito. The institute has reported 11 earthquakes this month.

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