SAN JOSE,
Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Two people were reportedly killed in the 7.6-magnitude
earthquake that jolted the western coast of Costa Rica on Wednesday.
Local TV
Channel 7 reported two deaths, including a worker, who was crushed when the
building under construction collapsed at a site. Another victim was a
50-year-old woman who died from heart attack when the quake occurred at 8:42
local time (1442 GMT).
According
to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake is 7. 6 in magnitude. Costa
Rica's volcanic and seismic observation agency first put the tremor at 6.7, but
lifted it to 7.6 later. Two minor aftershocks have also been reported.
The quake
was centered about 8 km northeast of Samara, Costa Rica, and 151 km west of San
Jose, the capital, said the USGS.
In Samara,
the epicenter, a clerk said in an interview that the damage was not serious,
but residents were in a state of panic. Xinhua photographers witnessed broken
water pipes in Samara and cracks in the road connecting San Jose with the
epicenter area.
Costa
Rica's Social Security Fund said a hospital in Liberia, a city 150 km northwest
of San Jose, suffered structural damage following the quake, and patients were
transferred to other medical centers.
People hit
by objects falling off buildings or furniture were treated in hospitals in
Nicoya, a place near the epicenter and Puntarenas, about 90 km west of San
Jose.
In San
Jose, the quake shook buildings and sent residents fleeing to the streets.
Connections via mobile phones and regular phones have been disrupted.
Electricity cut-off has been reported in the capital.
The quake
also caused panic in surrounding countries. Schools in Nicaragua's Pacific
areas have suspended classes. In Managua, capital of the Central American
country, some children were picked up by their parents although there was no
order for class suspension.
The
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a warning for Pacific
coastlines of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, but canceled it later.
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