ECUADOR QUAKE TO CUT OIL REVENUES 800 MLN DLRS
up to 300 people were feared dead and more
than 15,000 people left homeless by thursday's earthquake,
which will cost Ecuador close to 800 mln dlrs in lost petroleum
revenues, authorities said.
    They estimated the cost of repairing a damaged oil pipeline
at 150 mln dlrs.
    "the magnitude of the damages caused by the earthquake is
gigantic," president leon febres cordero said after inspecting
the damages in napo, the hardest-hit jungle province, 100 miles
from here.
    The quake damaged 40 km of an oil pipeline, forcing this
opec nation to suspend crude exports for four months, president
febres cordero said in a statement issued today by the
presidential press office.
    The country would lose an estimated 800 mln dlrs in crude
exports until the pipeline was repaired, the president said. It
would cost 150 mln dlrs to repair the pipelline which carries
oil from jungle oil fields over the andes to Balao, a pacific
ocean port.
    Crude traditionally accounts for up to two-thirds of
ecuador's exports.
    the quake triggered landslides, swelling the aguarico river
which burst it banks carrying away homes and huts in napo
province, health minister jorge brancho told reuters.
    "we fear that up to 300 people died in napo though there is
no way of now knowing the exact figure because many people have
disappeared," he said.
    Other estimates ranged as high as 500 dead.
    So far 20 corpses have been recovered, bracho said.
    Information Minister Marco Lara told reporters: "the number
of dead and injured is not known ... because we do not know how
many people lived in the homes hit by the landslides."
    Bracho said at least 15,000 were left homeless in the
cayambe district.
 Reuter
