Three people were killed and at least 40 were injured when a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras early Thursday, sending terrified residents fleeing to higher ground, CNN reported.
Two of the victims - a 15-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl - died after a wall collapsed on them, according to the Honduran government agency that responds to natural disasters, which is known by its Spanish acronym, COPECO.
A man from Tela died of a heart attack, the agency said. His age was unknown.
The teenage boy's brother suffered minor injuries, said Dilcia Fernandez, mayor of La Lima, where the boy died. La Lima is about 120 miles north of the capital, Tegucigalpa.
The girl was from Morazan.
The 7.1-magnitude quake struck about 3:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. ET). Half an hour later, a 4.8-magnitude aftershock hit about 155 miles north of Tegucigalpa. There were no initial reports of damage from the aftershock.
The original earthquake jolted residents along the coast and in the bay off Honduras.
"People were startled. They started walking, running, doing everything they could to get to higher ground about two miles away," said Ron Cummins, who owns a resort in Roatan Island. "I have been on the island for 14 years, this is the worst I have seen. "
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