Earthquake in Cartago damaged dozens of houses

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) reported that at least one house collapsed and dozens are damaged in cantons east of Cartago due to the strong earthquake that shook the province at 6:25 p.m. Wednesday.

Red Cross spokesman Gerald Jiménez confirmed to The Tico Times on Thursday that the organization had not received any reports of injured people.

Fifteen people in the canton of Alvarado were evacuated to a shelter, following recommendations from the CNE and the Firefighters’ Corps. Experts from both agencies are evaluating homes in the area to assess whether their occupants can safely return, the CNE reported.

In addition to some 40 damaged houses there are also reports of landslides and cracked roads in the Cartago cantons of Jiménez and Alvarado. People in Turrialba, Alvarado, Jiménez and Oreamuno suffered power and water cuts.

On Thursday evening there were still some 4,000 people without water in various communities in Jiménez.

Aftershocks

The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) reported on Thursday morning that it has recorded more than 400 aftershocks from the magnitude-5.3 quake that shook most of the country.

Most of these aftershocks went unnoticed by the population as their magnitude was under 4.3, the agency said.

The earthquake’s epicenter area is located between Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes. However, OVSICORI ruled out that the seismic activity had any relation with volcanic activity.