An earthquake shook Costa Rica early Friday morning. The tremor occurred at 12:45 a.m. with a magnitude of 4.4. Its epicenter was located 1 kilometer southwest of San Juan de Tibás, at a depth of 5 kilometers, according to the Seismological and Volcanological Network of the University of Costa Rica.
“This earthquake was widely felt by the population throughout the Central Valley. The quake’s shallow depth of 4 km made it especially noticeable. At this time, we are monitoring the seismic activity that may develop with the occurrence of this event, mainly the generation of aftershocks,” said Esteban Chaves from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori).
In addition, seismic stations have already recorded several aftershocks following the main event. Among them, three stand out with magnitudes of 3.3, 2.9, and 2.2, located in the same area as the epicenter. So far, no material damage or injuries have been reported. CNE authorities are maintaining their usual monitoring in case of further aftershocks.
“We will keep the population informed about this and also about tectonic activity in neighboring regions,” added Chaves. A security camera shows the exact moment the earthquake hit. The footage was recorded at a business in Zapote, just a few kilometers from the earthquake’s epicenter in Tibás.
Comments flooded social media, with Costa Ricans from all over the country giving their reports. “In Montes de Oca (San Pedro), it was really strong,” one user said. In Heredia, Alajuela, and several regions of San Jose such as Zapote, Tibás, Moravia and Desamparados, many reports indicated the earthquake was very powerful.
Meanwhile, only a few hours earlier, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake was also felt in the Magallanes region and Chilean Antarctica, prompting a state of “caution” due to the risk of a possible tsunami, according to the emergency services.
The earthquake occurred at 10:16 p.m. local time (2:16 a.m. GMT on Friday) and had a magnitude of 7.6. It was located 258 kilometers northeast of the Presidente Frei base, located on King George Island, on the Antarctic Peninsula, the National Seismological Center reported.
The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) described the earthquake as “medium intensity” and said that a “state of caution” had been declared in the Antarctic territory due to the risk of a possible tsunami.
