Honduras Earthquake: Death Toll Rising [VIDEO]

Honduras: An Earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 rocked the ocean floor off the coast of Honduras at 3:24 a.m local time, May 28, collapsing houses and sending panicked people running into the streets in Honduras, Belize and as far away as Guatemala City.

The Honduras earthquake caused major damage to cities and towns and sparked tsunami warnings in coastal areas of Honduras, Belize and Guatemala but the warning has since been lifted.

Honduras Earthquake Death Toll Rising

At least one man was killed when his house collapsed on him in Pineda de la Lima, 120 miles north of Tegucigalpa. Other reports say that 4 children have been killed as well and according to local emergency workers the death toll will be much higher.

Randolfo Funes, a top official at Honduras’ civil protection agency is quoted as saying:

“We have confirmed four dead. There will be many more dead.”

Honduras Earthquake Aftershock Video

A second aftershock quake of 4.8 magnitude hit the area about 3 hours after the first, causing further damage to the already weakened structures in the area and causing widespread panic amongst the population.

National Emergency Minister Melvin Hulse made a radio plea this morning, “I urge you not to panic, but to remain calm. Your government is monitoring the situation and will be keeping you informed.”

[Source & Photo: AP, Reuters. Video: CNN]