Costa Rica quake toll rises
2009-01-15 09:36
San Jose - The death toll from Costa Rica's magnitude-6.1 earthquake has risen to 23 after three more bodies were found.
The country's judicial investigative agency says the latest bodies were uncovered at the site of a collapsed restaurant in the town of Cinchona. The victims were the restaurant's owner and two of his children.
The quake rocked the Central American nation last Thursday, unleashing massive landslides.
President Oscar Arias called for international aid for the devastated area on Wednesday.
German Formula One race champion Michael Schumacher, who was in Costa Rica for a previously scheduled appearance at a traffic safety event, toured the disaster zone and noted sadly that "so many families have lost their homes".
- AP