EL SALVADOR: TENS OF THOUSAND FORCED TO SLEEP OUTSIDE AFTER EARTHQUAKE DESTROYS HOMES

Record ID: 648184

  • Title: EL SALVADOR: TENS OF THOUSAND FORCED TO SLEEP OUTSIDE AFTER EARTHQUAKE DESTROYS HOMES
  • Date: 17th January 2001
  • Summary: SANTA TECLA, EL SALVADOR (JANUARY 15, 2001) (REUTERS) 1. SLV MILITARY TROOPS ARRIVING TO HELP SEARCH FOR VICTIMS 0.06 2. SLV RESCUE WORKERS; SLV RESCUE WORKERS WITH SEARCH DOGS; SLV SNIFFER DOGS RUNNING AMONGST RUBBLE; SLV BULLDOZER; SLV PEOPLE EXCAVATING DEBRIS (10 SHOTS) 1.01 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VICTIM, LUIS CUBIAS, SAYING "The landslide buried my mother and my sister. My neighbor Xiomara is also here. Since it happened we've been digging and digging and we haven't found them." 1.22 4. MV RESCUE WORKERS WITH DOGS; SCU BOXER DOG DRINKING WATER FROM BOTTLE (3 SHOTS) 1.38 5. SLV PEOPLE CARRYING BELONGINGS; LOADING BELONGINGS ONTO BACK OF VEHICLE (2 SHOTS) 1.51 6. AERIAL OF LANDSLIDE 2.07 COMASAGUA, EL SALVADOR (JANUARY 15, 2001) (REUTERS) 7. AERIAL OF ISOLATED TOWN 2.11 SANTA TECLA, EL SALVADOR (JANUARY 15, 2001) (REUTERS) 8. SLV BODIES BEING PULLED FROM DISASTER AREA; SLV RESCUE WORKERS DIGGING (8 SHOTS) 3.08 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VICTIM, JOSE GOMEZ, SAYING "It has taken all of our families, I've lost my house, my parents, my children, my grandmother, my nephew, my aunt. I only hope God will help us find them." 3.20 10. SLV RESCUE WORKERS DIGGING (4 SHOTS) 3.51 SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR (JANUARY 15, 2001) (REUTERS) 11. SLV SALVADOREAN PRESIDENT FRANCISCO FLORES AT NEWS CONFERENCE; SCU MAPS; MV MEDIA (3 SHOTS) 4.00 12. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FLORES SAYING "Now what happens is that the numbers continue to climb. I want to give you an example, in the first twenty four hours twenty seven dead were reported. In the next forty eight hours those numbers grew to three hundred dead. In the next seventy two hours that number grew to six hundred dead and that is how the numbers are looking." 4.24 13. MV MEDIA; SCU MAP OF AFFECTED AREA (2 SHOTS) 4.30 14. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FLORES SAYING "The country is beginning to enter into certain normalisation where possible. We have been able to restore water service in 85-percent of the affected area." 4.49 15. SLV PEOPLE IN SHELTERS (4 SHOTS) 5.04 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 1st February 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SANTA TECLA AND COMASAGUA, EL SALVADOR
  • Country: El Salvador
  • Reuters ID: LVAAR7GSCLSVAHOPCUMMEK0TJPC9
  • Story Text: Tens of thousands of people in El Salvador have been
    forced to sleep outdoors after an earthquake three days ago
    buried their homes, killing more than 600 people and leaving
    about 500 more missing and feared dead.

    Authorities raised the known toll late on Monday
    (January 15) 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.

    "Now what happens is that the numbers continue to climb. I
    want to give you an example, in the first 24 hours 27 dead
    were reported. In the next 48 hours those numbers grew to 300
    dead. In the next 72 hours that number grew to 600 dead and
    that is how the numbers are looking," President Francisco
    Flores told a late night news conference.

    Many of the victims were buried under massive mudslides
    triggered by the biggest quake to hit this nation of 6.2
    million people since 1986 when about 1,500 people died.

    The president has ordered 3,000 coffins from abroad.

    Tens of thousands of homeless Salvadorans prepared to
    spend their third night in relatives' houses or outside in
    scores of temporary shelters in this tropical climate.

    Over 10,000 slept at an outdoor sports complex converted
    into a refugee centre, where they received fruit, sodas and
    blankets.

    The 7.6-magnitude quake, the epicentre of which was off
    the Pacific coast, about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of the
    capital, San Salvador, affected areas throughout the country
    and was felt in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras and as far
    north as Mexico City.


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