Watch: Earthquake hits Ecuador as players warm up

A video from Porteviejo, Ecuador, more than 200 kilometres from the epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the country Saturday, captures the terror felt by the city of 300,000 people.

At 6:58 p.m. local time, as players from Colon FC and LDU Portoviejo were warming up for the Portoviejo derby at Estadio Reales Tamarindos, panic was triggered when the earthquake struck and caused the stadium's lights to go out. The fixture was suspended and it was subsequently confirmed that the concrete structure was evacuated without problems.

Portoviejo, among the cities hit hardest, saw buildings collapse as a result of the earthquake, and its residents have been sleeping outside in makeshift tents with no water while guarding their ruined homes against looters.