7.1 quake topples homes, kills 4 in Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: A powerful earthquake toppled more than two dozen homes in Honduras and Belize early yesterday, killing four children and injuring 40 people as terrified residents spilled from their homes across much of Central America.

The magnitude-7.1 quake struck at 2:24 am (4:24 pm Beijing time yesterday) off the Caribbean coast of Honduras, 130 km northeast of the beach town of La Ceiba, according to the US Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado.

"People were running for the door," Alfredo Cedeno said from the reception desk at the Gran Hotel Paris in La Ceiba. "You could really feel it and you could see it - the water came out of the pool."