A powerful earthquake has shaken the north-west of Costa Rica killing at least one person. A 55-year-old woman died of a heart attack near the epicentre of the quake, the Red Cross said. The US Geological Survey said the 7.6-magnitude quake occurred beneath the Nicoya peninsula, 140km (87 miles) west of the capital, San Jose. A tsunami alert issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has been cancelled.
The quake rattled buildings in some parts of the capital, San Jose, Reuters news agency reported. Power and communications were briefly knocked out, according to the Costa Rican authorities. Regional media reported the quake could be felt as far away as Nicaragua and El Salvador. The quake was filmed on traffic cameras and a newsroom camera - courtesy Teletica and Repretel The US Geological Survey originally said it had a magnitude of 7.9, but revised it down to 7.6.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which had at first issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific coast of most of Central and South America, has cancelled its alert. President Laura Chinchillla said Costa Rica's emergency services were surveying the damage. She said that so far there had been no reports of any serious damage to buildings.
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