Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Shakes Costa Rica Sunday Night

Several media outlets are reporting that a 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled Costa Rica Sunday night.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the country’s Public Safety Ministry said it had reports of two serious injuries as a result of the quake, but did not provide additional details.

Although there were reports of downed power lines and poles in some areas, there were no reports of major infrastructure damage from the tremor, which hit in a lightly populated area along the Pacific Coast, according to the AP. 

CNN is reporting that three people suffered fatal heart attacks that coincided with the time of the earthquake -- two in Jaco and one person further south in Coronado -- according to a statement from Costa Rica's presidency.

According to the CNN report, at least one building in Jaco had been evacuated due to apparent damage and there were reports of walls collapsing and objects falling in other parts of the country, but there were no reports of any further injuries, the statement said.

According to the AP, the U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southeast of the town of Jaco, which is about 60 (100 kilometers) miles southwest of the capital, San Jose. The quake was at a depth of about 12 miles (20 kilometers).

According to a Newsweek report, Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera said that the country’s authorities were working to gather information about the earthquake and said that preventive measures would be taken to deal with the impact of the incident.

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