Bolivian officials: Earthquake death toll rises to 60

May 22, 1998
Web posted at: 4:35 p.m. EDT (2035 GMT)

LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- The death toll from a powerful earthquake that shook central Bolivia before dawn on Friday had risen to 60 by midday, the nation's civil defense chief said.

Up to 100 people were still missing, the defense chief, Gen. Luis Montero, told The Associated Press.

Some victims were killed as they slept, 10 of them children, Montero said. At least 35 people were injured.

President Hugo Banzer left early Friday for the stricken area -- the farming villages of Aiquile and Totora, 250 miles east of La Paz. The area includes Quechua Indian farming communities, and is located about two hours away from an airport.

The San Calixto Observatory in La Paz said two quakes rolled through the region. The first hit at 36 minutes after midnight, and had a magnitude of 5.9. A second struck 13 minutes later, with a magnitude of 6.8, officials said. Aftershocks were felt throughout the morning.

Radio reports said 80 percent of the homes in Aiquile and neighboring Totora were destroyed.

Helicopters have begun delivering food and medicine

Dozens of parachutists landed near Aiquile to help with search and rescue operations. Radio reports said access to the area was hampered by a landslide that cut off road access to Aiquile.

Rodolfo Ayala, a spokesman for the observatory, said the focus was located 55 miles below the surface, making it the strongest surface quake to hit Bolivia this century.

Ayala said the entire mountainous region of Cochabamba felt the tremor.

In 1994, Bolivia had one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history, felt as far away as Canada. But it was 550 miles below the Earth's surface, and caused little damage.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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