Ecuador earthquake: FEF suspends matches as death toll rises to 570

A tragedy beyond words means there will be no football in Ecuador on Sunday or Monday.

After a 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed 570 people in Ecuador on Saturday night and left thousands of others injured and homeless, the Federacion Ecuatoriana de Futbol announced that all remaining fixtures for the Serie A's 12th matchday are suspended.

The suspended matches include:

• Delfin S.C. vs. Universidad Catolica
• Emelec vs. Aucas
• Independiente del Valle vs. Barcelona

The earthquake was the worst to strike Ecuador in 40 years, and its epicentre was along the Pacific coast in a sparsely population region. Rafael Correa, the country's president, said Manta and Pedernales were among the towns worst affected, the latter of which he described as "destroyed." A state of emergency was announced in six provinces, and 10,000 troops have been deployed to aid rescue efforts and keep order.

A number of footballers from Ecuador's national team that play abroad were quick to express solidarity, including Antonio Valencia, Enner Valencia, Jaime Ayovi, Felipe Caicedo, Christian Noboa, and Jefferson Montero.