Search on for missing 23 in Costa Rica
Published: Tuesday | January 13, 2009
SAN JOSé, Costa Rica (AP):
The death toll from Costa Rica's magnitude-6.1 earthquake rose to 19 dead, with 23 missing, officials said yesterday.
The quake rocked the Central American nation on Thursday, unleashing massive landslides and destroying homes in a mountainous, remote region popular with tourists and farmers. Fifteen of the victims have been identified.
The death toll rose by one yesterday as rescue officials suspended from a helicopter dug out the body of a man who was buried in his car on a steep incline.
President Oscar Arias declared five days of national mourning and issued a national emergency, making it easier for quake victims to receive aid.