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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Costa Rica quake causes panic, but minimal damage

A wall at the University of Costa Rica's school of electrical engineering shows damage. (Associated Press)
Danica Coto Associated Press

CANGREJAL, Costa Rica – A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake shook Costa Rica and neighboring countries Wednesday, sending panicked people into the streets and briefly triggering a tsunami alert, but causing little damage. Authorities reported one confirmed death.

“When we felt the earthquake, we held onto each other because we kept falling,” said Rosa Pichardo, 45, who was walking on the beach in the town of Samara with her family when the quake hit.

“I’ve never felt anything like this. We just couldn’t stay standing. My feet gave out under me. It was terrible, terrible,” she said.

Officials said the quake collapsed some houses and at least one bridge and caused landslides that blocked highways. But Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla said there were no reports of major damage and called for calm.

Residents described being shocked by the force of the quake, which was felt as far away as Panama and Nicaragua and was the biggest since a 7.6-magnitude quake in 1991 left 47 people dead.

Michelle Landwer, owner of the Belvedere Hotel in Samara, north of the epicenter, said she was having breakfast with about 10 people when the quake hit.

“The whole building was moving, I couldn’t even walk,” Landwer said. “Everything was falling, like glasses and everything.” Still, she added, “Here in my building there was no real damage.”

The quake was somewhat deep – 25 miles below the surface. Quakes that occur deeper underground tend to be less damaging, but more widely felt.

“If it was a shallower event, it would be a significantly higher hazard,” said seismologist Daniel McNamara of the U.S. Geological Survey.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 38 miles from the town of Liberia and 87 miles west of the capital, San Jose.