SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Rescue workers in Costa Rica dug into collapsed hills in search of bodies on Saturday and feared the death toll from a strong earthquake would rise from around 14.

Rescuers fanned out into remote jungle areas around Vara Blanca, on the flanks of the Poas Volcano, to excavate landslides in search of more victims after Thursday's 6.1-magnitude quake.

"We are working on removing corpses, taking picks and shovels on all-terrain vehicles to reach areas where people may be buried," said National Emergency Commission official Victor Falla, speaking by telephone from a base near the area.

Colombia and the United States sent Blackhawk military helicopters to help the Costa Rican government, which does not have an army.

"They'll be taking people out of areas that are cut off. Some places are completely isolated," said civil protection spokesman Reinaldo Carballo.

About 40 people are missing, he told Reuters.

Hundreds of Costa Ricans and foreign tourists stranded by cut-off roads have already been moved to shelters or evacuated by air to the capital San Jose.

The bodies of more than a dozen people, including four children, have been recovered from beneath collapsed hills and fallen buildings.

Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination due to its lush natural parks, volcanoes and rich wildlife, but is prone like the rest of Central America to natural disasters. (Reporting by Manuel Carrillo and John McPhaul; Editing by Xavier Briand)

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