Uncle recounts Quebec family's last moments before Ecuador earthquake

Pascal Laflamme and his family were in their apartment in Ecuador and on a video chat with his parents back in Quebec when Saturday's earthquake struck.

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

Two hours passed before Pascal Laflamme texted his parents with devastating news: His 12-year-old son, Arthur, was dead and his wife, Jennifer Mawn, was buried in the rubble of their apartment in the coastal town of Bahia de Caraquez.

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

Around 3 a.m. ET Sunday, Laflamme's parents received confirmation from 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.

Guy Laflamme said his brother and sister-in-law haven't heard from their son since his last text on Saturday.

"They're in crisis," he said.

The magnitude 7.8 quake was the strongest to hit the country since 1979. It was 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'

Laflamme described his nephew's family as "beautiful" and said Mawn was a "very, very kind person" who worked with children.

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

He had similar words for young Arthur.

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

The family loved to travel, and Laflamme said 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 adventurous family of four left Montreal in 2007 to "discover the world," Pascal Laflamme wrote in a blog detailing their travels.  

They lived in Reunion Island and Mauritius before moving to Ecuador in 2015, where Laflamme worked on a real estate development project in Bahia de Caraquez, which is about 115 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."