Costa Rica hit by earthquake

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 US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centred about 10 miles south-east of the town of Jaco, which is about 60 miles south-west of the capital, San Jose.