Ecuador Deploys 14,000 Troops to Search for Quake Survivors

PORTOVIEJO, Ecuador – The death toll from last week's earthquake in Ecuador has risen to more than 400.

Military, police and search and rescue teams are descending on the country's northern coast as the search for survivors continues. Many remote villages have yet to be reached with help, and in the cities food and water are becoming very scarce.

The government is sending more than 14,000 troops into the areas hardest hit by the quake. They have to travel by air because roads into the area are all but impassable.

Troops are leaving throughout the night and into Wednesday in an all-out effort to help people still trapped in the rubble and without power, water or supplies. They're bringing the instruments they need with them to help dig out people from the rubble.

The town of Portoviejo is slightly inland, but it's still near the epicenter of the quake. Thousands of people around this city were sleeping outdoors Monday night, but not necessarily because they've lost their homes. They may still be standing, but with more than 50 aftershocks in the first 24 hours after the quake, they're afraid to sleep indoors.

Cindy Zambrano and her family are among those taking advantage of a safe place to sleep.

"Over there there isn't any electricity or water. Food is running out, and people are crying because they are running out of everything," Zambrano told CBN News.  

"There are so many people dead… some still trapped in buildings. I am very afraid. We had to leave with just the clothes on our backs," she explained.

Mario Zambrano was at work downtown when the quake struck.

"As soon as it ended, my first thought was for my family," Zambrano told CBN News.

"And I ran out, I jumped on my bike and rushed home, which took about 15 minutes. Those were 15 minutes of darkness, of disaster. Buildings falling over, many people crying out for help, cars crashed, people trapped on their balconies begging for help. Those were the worst moments of my life," he said.  

"While I was riding, I thought the worst things a person could think: that my house had fallen down, that everyone was dead. I thought of my son," Zambrano recalled.

"But thank God when I arrived, I saw my family outside," he said. "I saw my wife and my mother, and I called to them from far away and I gave thanks to God that they are okay because He let me see them one more time."

"Well, then we got back together and what we did was go looking for a refuge. And that was here," he explained.

Cindy Zambrano has an important message for her Christian brothers and sisters in the United States.

"Please pray, pray and help us with food, water…help the people of my country," she pleaded.