November 14, 2024 23:54 PM

Costa Rica Earthquake 2012: 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Pacific Coast

Another earthquake has rocked Costa Rica. A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific coast of Costa Rica on Tuesday, terrifying civilians as buildings shook.

The earthquake was centered around Hojancha in the Guanacaste region of the country, just 7 km (4.4 miles) from where another earthquake struck back in September, according to Inside Costa Rica. An early report shows that the earthquake had a depth of 24.5 miles, says to the Associated Press.

Upon early inspection, there doesn't seem to be any major damage except for a few cracked walls and broken glass in Guanacaste. No public hospitals or clinics have been damaged. The Red Cross says there are no reported injuries or deaths at this time. Some regions lost power.

Emergency teams will survey the region closer tomorrow to determine the extent of the effects.

On September 5, a larger 7.6 earthquake shook the same coast and caused a tsunami warning to go into effect . Many evacuated and there was only minor damage, but two people died. One suffered from a heart attack and one was killed when a wall collapsed.

Experts believe this recent earthquake is an aftershock of the previous earthquake.

''It is a very good likelihood that we are looking at an aftershock,'' USGS geophysicist Rafael Abreu told the AP.

This recent earthquake was felt as far as in Limon and the neighboring country of Nicaragua. It was more shallow than the first, which is why it was widely felt. It is already producing aftershocks of its own, but there are no tsunami warnings in effect.

The San Jose earthquake on September 5 was the largest in Costa Rica since 1991, in which an earthquake of the same strength left 47 people dead.

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