SAN JOSE , Costa Rica ( CNN ) -- The official count of confirmed deaths grew to 15 Friday afternoon , one day after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook north central Costa Rica , a government emergency official said . iReporter Leonardo Diaz photographed the damage in Plaza Mayor Shopping Center in San Jose . Reinaldo Carballo , a spokesman for the federal Commission for National Emergencies , said the updated death toll came from information given to the agency by Costa Rica Vice President Rodrigo Arias . In addition , Carballo said , rescuers were trying to reach 300 tourists stranded in a hotel in Varablanca . Carballo said he did not know the tourists ' nationalities or the name of the hotel . There were conflicting reports on the number of dead from Thursday 's earthquake . The Commission for National Emergencies had issued a news release earlier Friday saying the quake had killed four people . Also earlier Friday , Red Cross official Milton Chaverri told CNN there were 14 dead and 22 missing . Red Cross spokeswoman Fiorella Vilca said Friday afternoon there were nine dead and 42 missing . The discrepancy may result from the fact that the Commission for National Emergencies reports only deaths it has confirmed , Carballo said . About 32 people were injured , he said . On Friday , the U.S. government dispatched a team of 34 U.S. military personnel and four helicopters from Honduras-based Joint Task Force-Bravo to Costa Rica to assist . Survivors described the suddenness and brutality of the quake . Landslides , tumbling rocks and collapsed buildings caused widespread devastation and death . `` I saw how the earth moved and how it took my family -- my aunt , my cousin and her babies , '' Miguel Angel Marin told CNN affiliate Teletica TV . `` It was very hard because I wanted to save them , but I could n't . '' A sobbing Vilma Cambronero was asked what happened to her family . `` Some are well , '' she said . `` Others are buried . '' An unidentified woman told Teletica , `` Everything started to move and everything fell on top of us . It was a miracle we got out . '' More than 1,200 people were stranded , without a way to get out of towns or homes , Chaverri said . Another 1,000 people were living in shelters , he said . iReport.com : Are you there ? Send photos , video . `` Many people were injured , many buildings were damaged and landslides blocked roads in the area , '' the U.S. Geological Survey said . The dead included three young girls , officials said Friday . Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez was scheduled to tour the affected area Friday . On Thursday , he appealed for calm . The remote area near Alajuela , where the quake hit strongest , is difficult to reach , and officials said they were having to rely on helicopters for medical evacuations and to airlift supplies . Randall Picado , a government rescue official , said many residents were without water and other necessities . About 400 volunteers and Red Cross personnel were giving aid in 15 communities , Chaverri said . The temblor was felt throughout Costa Rica and in southern and central Nicaragua , the U.S. Geological Survey reported on its Web site . `` I felt the earthquake , '' Costa Rican office worker Erick Solorzano told CNN in an iReport message . `` I work in a sixth floor , and it was very strong . We felt the building was going to collapse . '' About 2,000 aftershocks have been felt in San Jose , the capital , and other cities throughout the nation , Red Cross spokeswoman Vilca said . The Geological Survey placed the earthquake 's epicenter at 20 miles ( 32 kilometers ) north-northwest of San Jose at a depth of 2.8 miles ( 4.5 kilometers ) .
NEW : Rescuers trying to reach 300 tourists stranded in hotel . NEW : `` I saw how the earth moved and how it took my family , '' survivor says . Reports on number of people killed in quake conflict ; up to 300 may be missing . 300 stranded , More than 1,200 more in shelters , the U.S. Geological Survey official says .