7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Guatemala; Small Quake Rattles N.J. Towns in Wake of Hurricane Sandy
Guatemalans Huddle in Streets after Deadly 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake
Rescuers began employing heavy machinery early Thursday to search for more survivors.
Residents venturing outside into the morning cold found the city paralyzed and businesses closed."We started rescue work very early," said Julio Cesar Fuentes of the municipal fire department. "The objective is our hope to find people who were buried."
In the town of San Cristobal Cochu, firefighters picked at a collapsed house trying to dig out 10 members of one family, including a 4-year-old child, who were buried, fire department spokesman Ovidio Perez told the radio station Emisoras Unidas.
"Thank God nothing happened to us and that's why we have to help out," Cifuentes said.
President Otto Perez Molina said that 40 people died in the state of San Marcos and eight more were killed in the neighboring state of Quetzaltenango.
Hundreds of people crammed into the hallways of San Marcos' small hospital after the quake seeking help for injured family members. Some complained they were not getting care quickly enough.
"We ask the president to improve conditions at the hospital," she said. "There isn't enough staff."More than 300 firefighters, policemen and civilians dug desperately at a half-ton mound of sand at a quarry trying to rescue seven people believed buried alive. Among those under the sand was a 6-year-old boy who had accompanied his grandfather to work.
By Wednesday night, firefighters had dug out two bodies from the quarry, including Giovanni's."I want to see Giovanni! I want to see Giovanni!" the boy's mother, 42-year-old Francisca Ramirez, frantically cried. "He's not dead. Get him out."
Perez flew to San Marcos to view the damage in this lush mountainous region of 50,000 indigenous farmers and ranchers, many belonging to the Mam ethnic group.
"One thing is to hear about what happened and another thing entirely is to see it," the president told The Associated Press. "As a Guatemalan I feel sad ... to see mothers crying for their lost children."Perez said the government would pay for the funerals of all victims in the impoverished region.
"The little girl died when a wall fell over her," a shocked Ramos told a reporter.He said the girl was playing in her room when the quake hit. Sobbing uncontrollably, the girl's mother hugged the coffin wrapped with white lace and tulle. Ramos said the family would escort his niece Rosa's body back home for a viewing.
Officials said most of 100 missing were from San Marcos, where people farm corn and herd cattle, mostly for their own survival.
Hospital officials in San Marcos said they had received 150 injured.
Small Quake Rattles N.J. Towns in Wake of Hurricane Sandy
The temblor, with a magnitude of 2.0, struck at 1:19 a.m. and was centered in Ringwood, a community that's still dealing with downed trees and power outages from Sandy.
Geophysicist Jessica Turner at the National Earthquake Information Center says some people reported hearing a loud boom. Turner says those on upper floors of a home might have felt shaking or saw objects on walls vibrate.
The quake was 3 miles below ground and could also be felt in Mahwah, Wanaque, Oakland, Franklin Lakes, West Milford and Paterson.
Ringwood police say there are no reports of damage.
Turner says the last earthquake in New Jersey had a 2.2 magnitude and was recorded in February 2010.