A powerful, magnitude-7.6 earthquake shook Costa Rica on Wednesday. There were no immediate accounts of damage or injuries.
The USGS said the 8.42 a.m. quake struck about 60 km from the town of Liberia and 141 km west of the capital, San Jose. It was centred about 40 km below the surface.
In the coastal town of Nosara in northwest Costa Rica, trees shook violently and light posts swayed. Teachers chased primary school students outside.
A tsunami warning was in effect for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru and a tsunami watch was in effect for Chile, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said in a bulletin. It said it was unknown if a tsunami was generated, but the warning was based on the size of the earthquake.
