A state of emergency was declared in El Salvador yesterday after a powerful earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, hit the capital city at midday on Saturday, killing 247 people and destroying most houses in one district. Many more bodies are expected to be found.
Thousands of poorly equipped volunteers searched the Santa Tecla neighbourhood, just outside the nation's capital, San Salvador, clearing debris and mud to reach people buried by a 1,500-ft landslide which carried away houses, cars and trees.
"This is terrible. I don't think we will be able to pull out any victims; everything has been buried," said Mr David Lara, a rescue worker struggling with a shovel beside a bank of dirt.
The earthquake epicentre occurred 65 miles south-east of San Salvador, off the Pacific coast.
After-shocks, most of them of minor intensity, struck the country after the earthquake, adding to the general panic.
Energy supplies remained out of action across the country and the international airport was closed, hampering efforts to bring in relief supplies.
President Francisco Flores made an urgent appeal for international aid, personally requesting help from Mexico's legendary topos or "moles", who have worldwide experience in earthquake relief work.
President Vicente Fox of Mexico sent army troops and aircraft yesterday to help with relief efforts.
"We are making a personal appeal for solidarity from all Salvadorans, for unity to face up to this disaster," said President Flores, speaking on national television.
"We need support from experts in rescue, reopening communications, food and medicine," he added. Governments throughout Latin America pledged immediate aid.
The Santa Tecla neighbourhood, 12 miles from San Salvador, was the focus of rescue operations, as 800 houses remained inaccessible after the landslide.
Over 1,000 people remain unaccounted for, while two deaths were reported in Guatemala. Most of the injured people were evacuated from hospitals in San Salvador as damaged buildings appeared close to collapse.
The landslide which followed the earthquake also buried the village of Comasagua, 20 miles south-east of San Salvador, with deaths and injuries yet to be confirmed.
Four people were killed in Santa Ana, 35 miles north-west of the capital, where the cathedral roof collapsed as mass was being celebrated.
El Salvador's Education Ministry announced the suspension of all school classes, due to restart today after holidays, calling on teachers and older pupils to volunteer their energy in the rescue effort and to prepare school buildings to house people made homeless by the disaster.
President Flores visited several disaster zones yesterday as his cabinet drew up an emergency national recovery plan.
Giant cracks have opened up along the runway at the international airport, with only emergency helicopter missions permitted to land. El Salvador's parliament building was slightly damaged.
The earthquake also struck Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras, while buildings swayed in Mexico City, 600 miles away.
Nicaragua's coastal population was put on maximum alert amidst fears that a tidal wave might strike later yesterday. The region is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Mitch, which destroyed most of Nicaragua's infrastructure in September 1998.
This time, however, El Salvador bore the brunt of the disaster, as buildings and roads collapsed.
A previous 1986 earthquake, measuring 7.5, struck close to San Salvador, leaving an estimated 1,500 people dead and 10,000 more people homeless.
El Salvadoran authorities had previously identified a "calendar of disasters", between June and November, stockpiling food close to potential blackspots, but floods, hurricanes and forest fires were feared rather than earthquakes.
Across the country people opted to stay outside their homes, building bonfires amid power cuts and listening to regular radio bulletins.
El Salvador has asked the Colombian government to provide 3,000 coffins to help poor Salvadorans bury their dead, President Flores announced yesterday.