SOMS

[salvadorB]
Central America Quake Death Toll Up

Blocks Identified by Clustering

[I] A major earthquake shook Central America on Saturday, unleashing a landslide that buried hundreds of houses near San Salvador and causing major damage across the country.
[A] The 7.6-magnitude quake centered off El Salvador's southern coast also rocked Honduras and Guatemala, where two deaths were reported. Buildings swayed in Mexico City, about 600 miles to the northwest.
[E] The national police said it estimated the death toll at near 100.
[J] Salvadoran President Francisco Flores declared a national emergency and appealed for international aid to help look for buried victims and assist survivors.
[C] Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Medina estimated that 300 houses had been destroyed in Las Colinas. The wall of a hospital collapsed in the southeastern town of San Miguel and 25 people were known to be dead in a small village nearby.
[B] About 1,200 people are believed to be missing in the buried Las Colinas neighborhood just west of San Salvador, Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Medina said.
[K] By night, 20 bodies had been recovered at Las Colinas. No survivors had yet been found.
[H] Hundreds of rescuers frantically ripped at the earth with sticks and bare hands to reach those buried in the middle class Las Colinas area, where a 1,500-foot landslide carried away houses, cars and trees.
[F] It took more than an hour for some San Salvador radio stations to return to the air and telephone service remained spotty at mid-afternoon. There were cracked buildings and shattered windows across the city of 500,000.
[G] News of the damage was slowed by the fact much of El Salvador's telephone service and electricity was knocked out by the quake for several hours. Only sketchy reports had arrived from many hard-hit areas.
[D] A 1986 earthquake centered near San Salvador killed an estimated 1,500 people and injured 8,000.

[I]	A major earthquake shook Central America on Saturday, unleashing a landslide that buried hundreds of houses near San Salvador and causing major damage across the country.
[A]	The 7.6-magnitude quake centered off El Salvador's southern coast also rocked Honduras and Guatemala, where two deaths were reported. Buildings swayed in Mexico City, about 600 miles to the northwest.
[E]	The national police said it estimated the death toll at near 100.
[J]	Salvadoran President Francisco Flores declared a national emergency and appealed for international aid to help look for buried victims and assist survivors.
[C]	Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Medina estimated that 300 houses had been destroyed in Las Colinas. The wall of a hospital collapsed in the southeastern town of San Miguel and 25 people were known to be dead in a small village nearby.
[B]	About 1,200 people are believed to be missing in the buried Las Colinas neighborhood just west of San Salvador, Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Medina said.
[K]	By night, 20 bodies had been recovered at Las Colinas. No survivors had yet been found.
[H]	Hundreds of rescuers frantically ripped at the earth with sticks and bare hands to reach those buried in the middle class Las Colinas area, where a 1,500-foot landslide carried away houses, cars and trees.
[F]	It took more than an hour for some San Salvador radio stations to return to the air and telephone service remained spotty at mid-afternoon. There were cracked buildings and shattered windows across the city of 500,000.
[G]	News of the damage was slowed by the fact much of El Salvador's telephone service and electricity was knocked out by the quake for several hours. Only sketchy reports had arrived from many hard-hit areas.
[D]	A 1986 earthquake centered near San Salvador killed an estimated 1,500 people and injured 8,000.