5 killed in Honduras earthquake

(CNN) - At least five people were killed and another 17 were injured Thursday when a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras, sending terrified residents fleeing to higher ground.

Two of the victims - a 15-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl - died after a wall collapsed on them, according to Jose Reyes, a spokesman for COPECO, the Honduran government agency that responds to natural disasters.

A 9-year-old boy died and a heart attack proved fatal to a man from Tela, the agency said. A woman suffered cardiac arrest.

The 15-year-old boy's brother suffered minor injuries, said Dilcia Fernandez, mayor of La Lima, where the boy died. La Lima is about 120 miles north of the capital, Tegucigalpa.

The toddler girl was from Morazan.

Trauma was blamed for most of the fatalities. "Structures fell on them," Reyes said.

The 7.1-magnitude quake struck at 3:24 a.m. (5:24 a.m. ET), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Half an hour later, a 4.8-magnitude aftershock hit about 155 miles north of Tegucigalpa.