SAN MIGUEL, Costa Rica: Rescue workers dug into collapsed hillsides on Saturday searching for bodies and possible survivors two days after a strong earthquake killed 20 people.

Rescuers fanned out into remote jungle areas on the flanks of the Poas Volcano to excavate landslides in search of 40 people missing from Thursday's 6.1-magnitude quake.

"We are working on removing corpses, taking picks and shovels on all-terrain vehicles to reach areas where people may be buried," said National Emergency Commission official Victor Falla, speaking by telephone from a base near the area.

The Red Cross in Costa Rica said 20 bodies have been recovered. About 40 people were still missing, civil protection spokesman Reinaldo Carballo told Reuters.

Colombia and the United States sent military helicopters to help the Costa Rican government, which does not have an army.

"We passed places where cars were buried and it stank of bodies," said survivor Esteban Godoy, 36, who trekked through the debris of collapsed houses and swept-away roads before being flown by helicopter to the town of San Miguel.

Bottled water, electric generators and rations sent by the U.S. military began to reach shelters crammed with Costa Ricans who lost their homes.

Hundreds of Costa Ricans and foreign tourists stranded by cut-off roads have already been moved to shelters or evacuated by air to the capital San Jose.

The bodies of several people, including four children, were recovered from beneath collapsed hills and fallen buildings. Other bodies are thought to be in cars buried in earth.

Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination due to its lush natural parks, volcanoes and rich wildlife, but it is prone to natural disasters like the rest of Central America.

 

Source : Reuters