Uncle recounts Quebec family's last moments before Ecuador earthquake

PascalLaflamme and his familywere in their apartment in Ecuadorand on a video chatwith his parents back in Quebecwhen Saturday'searthquake struck.

"Everything started to shake. Pascal cried'get out!' and then everything was cut,"Laflamme'suncle, GuyLaflamme, told CBC News.

Two hours passed before PascalLaflammetextedhis parents with devastating news: His 12-year-old son, Arthur, was dead and his wife, JenniferMawn, was buried in the rubble of their apartment in the coastal town ofBahiadeCaraquez.

• Ecuador earthquake leaves mother and son from Quebec dead
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Laflammeand his daughter, Laurie-Anne, managed to escape with light injuries.

Around 3 a.m. ET Sunday,Laflamme'sparents received confirmationfrom the Canadian Embassy that their daughter-in-law was also dead.

They also heard that officials in Ecuador had ordered everyone away from the Pacific coast to higher ground to avoid a possible tsunami, sparking new fears for the safety of their son and granddaughter.

GuyLaflammesaid his brother and sister-in-law haven't heardfrom their son since his last text on Saturday.

"They're in crisis," he said.

The magnitude7.8 quake wasthe strongest to hit the country since 1979. Itwas centred on Ecuador's fishing ports and tourist beaches, about 170 kilometres northwest of the capital of Quito.

The death toll in the country rose to 350 on Monday. About 2,700 people were also injured.

'A beautiful family'

Laflammedescribed his nephew's family as "beautiful" and saidMawnwas a "very, very kind person" who worked with children.

A neuropsychologist, Mawnhadfounded a clinic for children in Longueuil,on Montreal's South Shore.

He had similar words foryoung Arthur.

"He was very intelligent, a very, very kind guy," he said.

The family loved to travel, andLaflammesaid he's glad Arthur had the opportunities he did before his death.

"At least he had a chance to see the world before he died,'" he said.

"He learned about several civilizations and to respect people and to understand that the world is complex, that humans are all alike and there are nice people all around the world."

'We just love it here'

The adventurousfamily of four left Montreal in 2007 to "discover the world,"PascalLaflamme wrote in ablog detailing their travels.

Theylived in Reunion Island and Mauritius before moving to Ecuador in 2015, where Laflammeworkedon areal estate development project inBahiadeCaraquez,whichisabout115 kilometres from the epicentre of the quake.

"We just love it here, weather is great and living by the Pacific Ocean is a real joy!" he wrote soon after arriving.

In another post, he wrote,"we are trying to let them experience different things, discover different cultures, languages and way of living. We can't wait to see how Ecuador will impact their future."