The ministry also said that 20,503 people are currently being housed in shelters after the magnitude-7.8 earthquake.
Some good news broke the gloom Tuesday as three people were found alive in the rubble of a building in Manta, according to Ecuador's firefighter chief Ebber Arroyo.
"We found three people alive at around 4:30 a.m., and we are continuing the work to find survivors," said Arroyo.
The rescued, two women and a man, were immediately taken to hospital for urgent medical care.
Vice President Jorge Glas said in a Twitter update Tuesday morning that power supply was coming back in most of Manabi, and an evaluation of the infrastructure would be carried out once power is fully restored.