Series of EmergencyNet News "Real-Time" Articles Concerning a 7.6 Earthquake, Off The Coast of El Salvador --  13 to 17 Jan 2001

17 Jan 2001 - 09:00CST

EL SALVADOR:

At Least 683 Dead In Earthquake

Government officials said the death toll of Saturday's earthquake that triggered devastating landslides has risen to 683. Even as signs emerged that everyday life was returning after the quake -- lines snaked around the block at newly reopened banks in the capital -- the isolated countryside largely stood still in hunger. Many survivors relied on food dropped from helicopters and drinking water delivered by trucks.

Near San Salvador, the capital, rescuers with sniffer dogs and heartbeat detectors failed to turn up any last survivors from a landslide that buried the Las Colinas neighborhood, and used bulldozers to clear the rubble and recover rotting bodies. Seventeen more corpses were pulled from the mountain of dirt on Tuesday night, adding to the national death toll of 683. Neighbors and family members said that a large number of people remain "missing."

The quake also killed six people in neighboring Guatemala. More than 2,500 people were injured and nearly 45,000 others were evacuated. In many places, authorities were overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies. Many were buried in a long pit at Santa Tecla's municipal cemetery.

In Comasagua, a city 17 miles west of the capital where more than 140 people were killed and roads were rendered impassable by land-slides, hungry residents swarmed around U.S. Army helicopters bringing food, water and medicine.

16 Jan 2001

EL SALVADOR:

Earthquake Death Toll Rises To More Than 600

Officials in El Salvador raised the confirmed death toll from the devastating earthquake to more than 600 on Monday with about 500 people still missing and feared dead. Strong aftershocks from the 7.6 magnitude quake on Saturday rattled buildings and triggered fresh landslides throughout the day, hampering rescuers whose hopes of digging out more survivors were all but gone.

Police raised the known toll late on Monday from about 400 dead to 609, with 2,365 people injured and about 38,000 homes throughout the small Central American nation partly or totally destroyed. Many of the victims were buried under massive mudslides triggered by the biggest quake to hit the nation of 6.2 million people since 1986 when about 1,500 people died.

Tens of thousands of homeless Salvadorans spent their third night in relatives' houses or outside in scores of temporary shelters in  the tropical climate. Over 10,000 slept at an outdoor sports complex converted into a refugee center.

Despite frequent aftershocks that lasted up to 30 seconds each, rescuers used dogs, picks, shovels and their hands to recover bodies and limbs. They said chances were fading of finding more survivors beneath the earth and rubble. One of the last survivors found alive under the debris was a 22-year-old man who was rescued on Sunday after being trapped for 30 hours. He was kept alive with oxygen as rescuers dug under a fallen wall inside a friend's home in Santa Tecla. He was dug out from under about nine feet of mud and debris. Hospital officials however said they had little hope that the man, who had heart and kidney failure and needed a leg amputated, would live.

Thousands of emergency workers and volunteers struggled to deliver canned meat, drinking water, medicine, blankets and tents to the thousands left homeless and to evacuate some of the hundreds of injured people. On Monday, emergency workers first reached Comasagua, a town of roughly 18,000 people about 18 miles west of San Salvador. Officials estimated about 40 people had died after an avalanche of boulders and mud leveled dozens of homes.

09:00CST - 15 Jan 2001

CENTRAL AMERICA:

Earthquake Death Toll Tops 400

Hundreds of people are still missing after an earthquake killed more than 400 on Saturday. Rescuers are working against the clock on Monday in hopes of finding survivors in a devastated middle-class neighborhood in El Salvador. Most of the dead were pulled from the rubble in the suburb of Santa Tecla in the capital San Salvador, where a massive mudslide engulfed as many as 500 middle-class homes.

In Santa Tecla, hundreds of emergency workers and volunteers struggled to shovel dirt from around collapsed homes in a sea of mud, tree limbs and rubble. Rescue work was hampered by up to 500 aftershocks, some of them powerful. Hopes were fading fast of finding many more people alive under the rubble of Saturday's 7.6-magnitude quake which killed at least 403 people, injured 779 and left 1,200 missing.

Blocked roads still had a handful of villages cut off from the rest of the country, hampering rescue attempts and forcing government officials to concede the death toll could go higher.

One such isolated village was Comasagua, only 18 miles east of the capital city but cut off after landslides blocked or swept away the roads leading to the community, that was home to 80 people. Authorities said that 21 bodies had been unearthed in Comasagua. Surviving villagers said at least another nine bodies were under the rubble and 12 more buried in a road landslide.

Guatemalan officials said four more bodies were discovered in that country on Sunday, raising the death toll there to six. Other Central American nations reported no fatalities. The nation of El Salvador was by far the worst hit and officials said about 40 or 50 local and foreign tourists were believed trapped on a volcano on the outskirts of San Salvador. Rescuers were trying to reach them.

The United States, Mexico, Switzerland, Spain and Venezuela were among the first countries to mobilize relief efforts for El Salvador. Foreign aid, including money, medical supplies and wool blankets, was starting to flow in. The U.S. Agency for International Development said on Sunday the United States would send helicopters to help assess the damage and target specific areas for relief. Spain was preparing to send a team of 75 firefighters and 24 dogs to search for survivors.

19:00CST - 14 Jan 2001

El Salvador: Death Toll Continues To Climb, Reuter's Says 381 Dead

San Salvador, El Salvador (EmergencyNet News) -- According to an Reuter's News Service article published this evening by David Rivas, at least 381 people were dead, 779 injured and hundreds missing in El Salvador. Rescue efforts continue at the time of this report, but witnesses say that rescue services in El Salvador are overwhelmed and badly in need of additional outside assistance.

Bodies continue to be pulled from the rubble of a landslide area in Santa Tecla,  where rescuers say that more than 500 homes were buried. Volunteers using shovels, sticks, and their bare hands could be seen in numerous areas throughout the country, hoping to dig through the debris and discover someone alive.  Often they were looking for family members or friends.

The United States, Mexico, Switzerland, Spain and Venezuela were among the first countries to mobilize foreign aid and relief efforts for El Salvador, including money, medical supplies and wool blankets, according to Rivas. Taiwan, itself a victim of a devastating quake in 1999, has also dispatched a rescue team to assist in the disaster effort.

As tragic as the events so far have been, ERRI emergency service analysts said that they believe that the death toll will continue to rise and that the general public does not yet understand the magnitude of this incident. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events in Central America and will provide additional details as the circumstances warrant... 

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INSTANT   - 09:30CST - 14 Jan 2001

El Salvador Earthquake Death Toll Estimates Run From 122 to 234; Rescues Continue

San Salvador, El Salvador (EmergencyNet News) -- The death toll continues to rise as rescuers search collapsed buildings and dig through landslides that cover more than 300 houses.  Differing reports concerning the death toll have been received at the EmergencyNet News Watch Desk, including a report from the Salvadoran National police, who say that 234 people are confirmed dead and 2,000 injured.  The Red Cross reports 120 confirmed dead and more than 1,000 people still missing, following the 7.6 tremor that shook Central America on Saturday.

Much of the confusion may be due to the fact that telephone lines are down in several areas, and roads are blocked -- making travel difficult. Electricity is also out for many communities and radio and television stations are operating only sporadically. Officials at San Salvador's international airport said all flights had been canceled, making it difficult, if not impossible, for incoming relief flights to arrive. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development said that it will send additional personnel and a plane load of relief supplies just as soon as the airport re-opens. Several other countries, including Mexico, Taiwan and Spain, also said that they would send rescue teams and supplies -- just as soon as conditions permit...

INSTANT   - 23:30CST - 13 Jan 2001

At Least 63 Dead as Quake Toll Rises

San Salvador, El Salvador (EmergencyNet News) -- At least 63 people have been killed, more than 200 injured, and more than 1,000 are missing, as rescuers continue to claw through the debris left behind following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Central America at about 11:35hrs. (local) on Saturday afternoon.

Sporadic reports continue to come in, talking about major buildings collapsed, communications cut off, and other serious problems as police, fire, Red Cross, and other disaster workers try to rescue what may turn out to be hundreds of trapped people. Damage is described as heavy in the Las Colinas neighborhood, west of San Salvador, where a landslide caused by the quake may have buried hundreds of homes. Friends, neighbors, and relatives were said to be digging for survivors with stick and their bare hands in the Las Colinas area. 

Rescue workers say that it is likely that the death toll will rise as morning comes and they are better able to search in collapsed buildings.  Salvadoran President Flores has sent an appeal for international aid and special rescue teams to come and assist in the search and rescue effort...

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16:00CST - 13 Jan 2001

At Least 30 Dead in C. American Quake

San Salvador (EmergencyNet News) -- Reports continue to come in that more than 30 people have been killed in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras, following a major earthquake.  More than 100 people are also thought to be injured as local rescue crews scramble to search through the rubble of collapsed buildings, spread over a wide area. One Red Cross official told EmergencyNet News by e-mail that he feared that the death and injury toll would rise as search and rescue efforts continued. 

Salvadoran President Francisco Flores reportedly declared a national emergency and appealed for international aid, especially for "people specialized in finding victims who are buried." It is not known if special rescue teams from the United States or other countries have been  alerted or dispatched to El Salvador, at the time of this report.

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U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION CENTER

World Data Center for Seismology, Denver

The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A major earthquake occurred OFF THE COAST OF EL SALVADOR about 65 miles (110 km) south-southeast of San Salvador at 10:33 AM MST today, Jan 13, 2001 (11:33 AM local time in El Salvador). A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.6 WAS COMPUTED FOR THIS EARTHQUAKE. The magnitude and location may change slightly as additional data are received from other seismograph stations. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused substantial damage and casualties due to its location and size. The earthquake was felt as far away as Mexico City.  -- EDIS-01-13-01 11:31 PST

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13:00CST - 13 Jan 2001

Major Earthquake Being Reported in Central America

El Salvador (EmergencyNet News) -- Early and as yet fragmentary reports are coming in to the EmergencyNet News Watch Desk concerning what is being described as a "massive quake" in the Central American region.  Early indications suggest that the quake measured as much 7.6 on the Richter scale.  

Some sporadic reports suggest that several parts of El Salvador may have suffered damage, but the location of the epicenter and specific damage reports have not, so far, been received.  Communications may have been cut off in some areas. ERRI emergency service analysts said that a quake of such magnitude could cause extensive property damage if it were to hit a populated area. Visit this website often for continuing coverage of this earthquake and other major disaster news...

© EmergencyNet News Service, 2001. All rights reserved. Redistribution or publication without the expressed permission of ERRI/EmergencyNet News is prohibited.

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