A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Honduras early Thursday killing at least four people leaving scores of others injured.

A 15-year-old boy died when his house collapsed in La Lima 265 km north of the capital Tegucigalpa, the police said, adding that several people were also injured in San Pedro Sula in the north.

The quake was followed by several aftershocks.

San Pedro Sula is scheduled to host a summit of foreign ministers of the Organization of American States next week. There was no immediate indication that the event would be affected.

In all, at least 24 houses collapsed along Honduras' Caribbean coast, according to Carlos Gonzalez, deputy director of the Permanent Emergency Commission, the Associated Press reported.

The 30-second quake was caused by a collision between the Caribbean and North American plates, said seismography expert Gonzalo Cruz from the Honduras National Autonomous University.

US seismology officials said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km and some 320 km northeast of the capital Tegucigalpa.

Earthquake