A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific coast of Costa Rica yesterday.
The quake was centred in the Guanacaste region, five miles from the popular tourist town of Nicoya, according to the US Geological Survey.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties from the quake, which was followed by a magnitude-4.5 aftershock. The original quake was felt in the capital San Jose.
At the beach of Matapalo, an hour’s drive from Nicoya, residents say they heard the quake more than felt it.
“I’m shaken. The sound was deafening,” Alberto Canales, a receptionist at the Hotel Riu Guanacaste, was reported as saying.
The region suffered an even more powerful earthquake last month, when a 7.6 earthquake rattled the same coasts, causing panic, evacuations but minor damage, the Daily Telegraph reported.