Honduras Earthquake & Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
(CNN) -- Three people were killed and at least 40 injured when a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck early Thursday off the coast of Honduras.
Damage to buildings has been reported in Honduras, but the extent of the damage remains unclear.
Two of the victims -- a 15-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl -- died after a wall collapsed on them, according to a Honduran government agency that responds to natural disasters, which is known by its Spanish acronym, COPECO.
A man whose age was unknown also died of a heart attack, the agency said. The teenage 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 quake struck about 3:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET). Half an hour later, a 4.8-magnitude aftershock hit about 155 miles north of Tegucigalpa. There were no initial reports of damage from the aftershock.
The National Weather Service placed the Central American country, Belize and Guatemala under a tsunami watch but later lifted it.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the original earthquake about 27 miles (43 kilometers) from Roatan, the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands and a popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling. The area is known for its white sandy beaches, clear waters and rich ocean reef and is especially popular with budget-conscious travelers.
"I was sleeping when I felt the whole house shaking," said Ressie Bodden Saphrey, who works at a hotel in Roatan.
Dishes and bottles crashed to the floor, she said, and she and her 19-year-old daughter packed their passports, medicine, bottled water, canned food and a flashlight with batteries in case they were told to evacuate. iReport.com: Did you feel the quake? Share photos, video
They chose to stay inside their cement three-story house, she said, though many people in Roatan wandered the streets in the darkness. Watch how the quake was felt in Honduras ยป
A television station in Honduras, Channel 8, reported damage to several buildings. It also fielded calls from people relaying reports of injuries.
In La Lima, where the teenager died, the earthquake caused minor damage to several buildings.
"It's minor damage considering what could have happened with such a strong earthquake," the mayor told CNN.
The disaster-response agency urged people to stay outside their homes, maintain important documents and store food and water, according to written messages that appeared on Channel 8.
Carol Frazier, who is vacationing in Roatan, said the quake knocked out power at the condominium where she is vacationing, and water spilled out of the swimming pool.
"Everything was moving. The TV fell on the ground," Frazier said. "The difficulty was we couldn't even move.
"I really thought it was a tsunami or something. That was really our first concern," she said. "We ran out."
Ron Bobbette, who manages a hotel in West End Roatan, said he felt buildings shaking.
"A few lamps fell off and woke me up," Bobbette said. "But everything is back to normal. I just finished walking around the hotel, and there is no visible structural damage."
There was an outage in the area, but the power is back on, he said.
The Lonely Planet tour guide describes Roatan as "a paradise for divers and snorkelers."
It also offers fishing, kayaking and spas.
The island is the largest of several that lie off Honduras' northern coast, in the Caribbean Sea.
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