At least 480 people have died in Ecuador following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck off the country's northwest Pacific coast.
President Correa confirmed the death toll had reached the hundreds after the quake caused "considerable damage" near the epicentre as well as in the largest city of Guayaquil.
It follows the deaths of at least 32 people across the Pacific in Japan after two large earthquakes hit in the past few days.
A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, creating the possibility of dangerous waves along the coasts of Ecuador and Colombia.
The quake, graded at 7.8 magnitude by the US Geological Survey, was centred just off the coast of Ecuador 107 miles from the capital, Quito.
"Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km of the epicenter along the coasts of Ecuador and Colombia," the warning center said.
Rescuers in Ecuador pulled out three survivors from the rubble of a flattened shopping centre, more than 32 hours after a major earthquake.
An earthquake has hit Ecuador's northwestern coast, with hundreds injured, and dozens dead. Here's what we know.
The quake has caused "considerable damage" near the epicenter as well as in the largest city of Guayaquil.