A young nun who died in the Ecuador earthquake while trying to guide others to safety has been described as a “superstar” by her family.

Sister Clare Crockett died along with five others after a stairwell collapsed in the school where she worked in Playa Prieta in the western province of Manabi.

At least 413 people are believed to have died in the 7.8 magnitude quake which struck 27km (16.8 miles) from the town of Muisne on the southeastern coast.

The 33-year-old’s order, the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, said she was killed along with five Ecuadorian postulants - women who are in the early stages of becoming a nun - when the quake struck.

Four nuns had been in one of the school buildings, where they lived on the third floor, when the quake hit.

Another Irish nun Sr Therese Ryan, 36, was the first pulled free with a fractured ankle and several bruises. Two others were rescued, Sr Estela Morales, 40, the superior from Spain and Sr Merly Alcybar, 34, from Ecuador, who survived a wall falling on her.

The five dead postulants were named by the Order as Jazmina, Mayra, Maria Augusta, Valeria and Catalina.

Sr Clare, from the Brandywell area of Londonderry in Northern Ireland, taught music to 400 children at the Colegio Sagrada Familia school.

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Her cousin, Emmet Doyle, said: "She was a superstar. Everybody loved her.

"She was the last sister found. She was trying to get them down the stairs and the staircase collapsed. We knew she was trapped but information has been slow to come out.

"She died as she lived, helping others."

Speaking to Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, Fr Roland Colhoun said he had known Sr Clare since her teenage years in Derry and described her as a beautiful person.

He said: "She loved god and she died in the line of duty. It's a very sad end to her fruitful life".

Ecuador earthquake in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 Ecuador earthquake in pictures Ecuador earthquake in pictures Ecuador earthquake in pictures Ecuador earthquake in pictures Ecuador earthquake in pictures Ecuador earthquake in pictures Ecuador earthquake in pictures People stand amongst the rubble of fallen homes in Manta, after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador Ecuador earthquake in pictures A collapsed bridge after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, late 16 April 2016. At least 77 people were killed and hundreds injured in an earthquake affecting the Ecuadoran northern coastal region. EPA/Freddy Constante Ecuador earthquake in pictures Police officers stand next to a collapsed overpass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Saturday April 16 2016. The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades flattened buildings and buckled highways along the country's coast, killing at least 41 people and causing damage hundreds of kilometres away from the epicenter in the capital and other major cities. AP Photo/Jeff Castro Ecuador earthquake in pictures Rescue workers work to pull out survivors trapped in a collapsed building after a huge earthquake struck, in the city of Manta early on April 17 2016. At least 41 people were killed when a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador, destroying buildings and sending terrified residents dashing from their homes, authorities said late on April 16. Ariel Ochoa/AFP/Getty Images Ecuador earthquake in pictures People walk near a damaged house after an earthquake struck off the Pacific coast in Manta, Ecuador, April 16 2016. REUTERS/Paul Ochoa Ecuador earthquake in pictures People stand on the debris of a building after an earthquake struck off the Pacific coast in Manta, Ecuador, April 16 2016. REUTERS/Paul Ochoa Ecuador earthquake in pictures People gather next to a collapsed house in Guayaquil on April 17, 2016. At least 41 people have been killed by the powerful earthquake that struck western Ecuador on Saturday and the toll will likely rise further, the country's Vice President Jorge Glas said. JOSE SANCHEZ L/AFP/Getty Images Ecuador earthquake in pictures People stand amongst the rubble of fallen homes in Manta on April 17, 2016, after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador on April 16. At least 77 people were killed when a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador, destroying buildings and a bridge and sending terrified residents scrambling from their homes, authorities in the Latin American country said on April 17. JUAN CEVALLOS/AFP/Getty Images Ecuador earthquake in pictures View of rubble after a 7.8-magnitude quake in Portoviejo, Ecuador on April 17, 2016. At least 77 people were killed when a powerful earthquake struck Ecuador, destroying buildings and a bridge and sending terrified residents scrambling from their homes, authorities said Sunday. JUAN CEVALLOS/AFP/Getty Images Ecuador earthquake in pictures People help clean rubble after a 7.8-magnitude quake in Portoviejo, Ecuador on April 17, 2016. At least 77 people were killed when a powerful earthquake struck Ecuador, destroying buildings and a bridge and sending terrified residents scrambling from their homes, authorities said Sunday. JUAN CEVALLOS/AFP/Getty Images Ecuador earthquake in pictures People watch a collapsed house in Guayaquil on April 17, 2016. At least 41 people have been killed by the powerful earthquake that struck western Ecuador on Saturday and the toll will likely rise further, the country's Vice President Jorge Glas said. JOSE SANCHEZ L/AFP/Getty Images

Northern Ireland's First and Deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness offered sympathies.

Mr McGuiness said: "Sr Clare devoted her life to children and young people and died selflessly helping those in need in Ecuador.

"Her death has shocked and saddened the entire community in Derry and further afield."

A state of emergency has been declared in six of Ecuador’s 24 provinces - with 10,000 armed forces and 4,600 national sent to the affected towns near the epicentre.