A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 hit Costa Rica last night, shaking buildings and sending people fleeing in panic.
The country’s Public Safety Ministry said there were reports of two serious injuries as a result of the quake, but did not provide additional details.
President Luis Guillermo Solis wrote on Twitter that the government was still gathering information.
He also urged people to remain calm and prepare for aftershocks.
The country’s Public Safety Ministry said there were reports of two serious injuries as a result of the quake, but did not provide additional details. Pictured: A shop in the country after the tremor
Electricity was knocked out in some areas as power lines and poles fell, but there were no reports of major infrastructure damage from the tremor, which hit in a lightly populated area on the Pacific Coast.
The government reported some rockslides obstructing highways near the epicenter.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centred about 10 miles southeast of the town of Jaco, which is about 60 miles southwest of the capital, San Jose. The quake was at a depth of about 12 miles.
Magdalena Lopez, who lives in Jaco, said the tremor started softly, but quickly strengthened.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centred about 10 miles southeast of the town of Jaco, which is about 60 miles southwest of the capital, San Jose. The quake was at a depth of about 12 miles
‘When we were trying to get out of the house it started to shake again very strongly,’ she said. ‘All of our neighbors were in the street. In front of my house there is an overlook some people started to go up, but it quickly started to shake again.’
Three people died from heart attacks at the same time as the quake, authorities said, with an investigation attempting to find out if the deaths were linked to the natural disaster.
Four minutes after the initial earthquake, a magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck.
Matt Hogan was at home in Punta Uvita, about a 90-minute drive down the coast from the epicenter when the earthquake hit around 8:30 p.m.
He said the shaking whipped up two-foot waves in his swimming pool and knocked over glasses and containers in the kitchen.
‘We’re very scared. It’s been years since we felt such a strong one,’ said Otto Vargas, a university professor in San Jose, who was home with his family when the shaking started.