Two children died when a strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake rocked central Costa Rica on Thursday, causing panic and widespread damage as residents fled from shaking buildings.
Police and neighbours found the bodies of two children who had been selling sweets near the epicentre, near the Poas volcano one of Costa Rica's main tourist attractions, after they were killed by a landslide caused by the quake.
The National Emergency Commission declared a red alert in the capital and surrounding areas "where serious damage to infrastructure, roads and homes has been reported and some people were injured and trapped in their houses."
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake measured 6.1 on the moment magnitude scale, revising down an initial figure of 6.2.
The quake, which hit at 1.21pm local time some 35 kilometres northwest of the capital, shook water out of swimming pools and witnesses said they had not felt such a strong tremor in 30 years.
It was felt across the Central American country and also in neighbouring Nicaragua, officials and locals said.
San Jose residents reported broken windows, cracks in buildings, ceilings and roads.
"There were power cuts and we still don't know if houses have been destroyed," said Reinaldo Carballo, emergency commission spokesman.
Public buildings, including the finance ministry, were evacuated, and many people ran onto the streets of the capital.
The city's international airport briefly suspended all flights, a spokeswoman said.
Authorities also warned of landslides on roads in mountainous areas near the epicentre, where aftershocks continued.
Another, smaller quake shook central Costa Rica on Wednesday, causing no victims or damages.
Costa Rica registered more than 4,700 earthquakes in 2008, of which around 60 were felt by the population, according to the observatory.
Sources: The Sydney Morning Herald
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