Guatemala Declares Disaster in Quake-Hit Santa Rosa

Guatemala City, Sep 21. -The Santa Rosa department was officially declared a disaster area on Wednesday due to the damage caused by Monday''s eight earthquakes and aftershocks.Authorities reported one quake-related death and 2,574 people affected in Santa Rosa, including 15 injured, and almost 2,000 people were in shelters, with 388 homes damaged.

The Coordinating Committee for Disaster Reduction made the announcement on behalf of Vice President Rafael Espada, who is acting president, with the purpose of providing assistance to quake victims.

The magnitudes of five of Monday's quakes were over 5 degrees, and the weakest was 3.7. The temblors come as part of a wave of more than 4,000 telluric events in Santa Rosa since July. (Prensa Latina)