Magnitude 6.5 quake hits Costa Rica coast, shakes capital

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 shook Costa Rica on Sunday night, knocking items from shelves and sending people rushing outside in panic.

The country’s Public Safety Ministry said it had reports of two serious injuries as a result of the quake, but did not provide additional details.

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 along the Pacific Coast. The government reported some rockslides obstructing highways near the epicenter.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centred about 15 kilometres southeast of the town of Jaco, which is about 100 kilometres southwest of the capital, San Jose. The quake was at a depth of about 20 kilometres.

The National Emergency Commission said there was no chance of a tsunami.

Magdalena Lopez, who lives in Jaco, said the tremor started softly, but quickly strengthened.

“When we were trying to get out of the house it started to shake again very strongly,” she said. “All of our neighbours 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.”

Four minutes after the initial earthquake, a magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck.

President Luis Guillermo Solis said via Twitter that the government was still gathering information.

He urged people to remain calm and prepare for aftershocks.

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.