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5.9 Earthquake Jolts Nicaragua; at Least 2 Die

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From Associated Press

A moderately strong earthquake shook Nicaragua on Thursday, killing at least two children, injuring dozens of other residents and damaging homes in several poor villages east of the capital, Managua. President Arnoldo Aleman said the death toll could go higher.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9, struck at 1:30 p.m. and was centered in Laguna de Apoyo, 30 miles east of Managua, according to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies.

It was felt across the country in Waslala, in northeastern Nicaragua, and in the province of Jinotega, on the Honduran border.

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Rescue teams were sent to the region, Aleman said.

An 11-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy died when a house wall fell on them, Vice President Enrique Bolanos said.

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