The death toll of the powerful earthquake that devastated Ecuador and prompted Pacific tsunami alerts all the way north to Costa Rica has surpassed the 300 mark, and it includes a mother and son from Canada.

According to a news report filed by Tu Thanh Ha and Les Perreaux of The Globe and Mail, Pascal Laflamme of Quebec lost his wife Jennifer Mawn and his son Arthur, who was 12 years old when the quake struck over the weekend.

It so happened that Mr. Laflamme was having a FaceTime conversation with his father in Montreal at the time the ground started shaking. Mr. Laflamme was able to find safe shelter with his 14-year old daughter Laurie Ann; alas, his wife and son did not survive.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, the shallow 7.8-magnitude quake struck late Saturday along the South American country’s coast, causing heavy damage in the coastal city of Manta. Rescue crews struggled to get to the sparsely populated fishing ports and tourists beaches.

Mr. Laflamme and his daughter lost their home to the earthquake. They stayed at a friend’s home before being evacuated by emergency officials who sounded the tsunami warning.

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, expressed condolences over the deaths of Mr. Laflamme’s wife and son. The Foreign Affairs Ministry is in contact with the Canadian Embassy in Ecuador to locate more expats.

In the last few years, Ecuador has emerged as one of the most viable destinations for North American expats who find Costa Rica to be too expensive and not safe enough.

Earlier this year, a survey by InterNations revealed that North American expats and workers on assignment abroad ranked Ecuador highly in terms of quality of life, personal finance, working abroad and making friends. Mexico and Malta also received high marks.