video transcript

Costa Rica is assessing the damage after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck on Wednesday (September 5). A hospital in Puntarenas city was evacuated after the quake damaged the building. Striking some 87 miles (140 km) from San Jose, the quake caused landslides and briefly triggered a tsunami warning. It was the biggest quake to hit Costa Rica since 1991. President Laura Chinchilla said teams were helping to restore services and clear roads. SOUNDBITE: COSTA RICAN PRESIDENT, LAURA CHINCHILLA, SAYING (Spanish): "Even though the earthquake was one of the strongest that Costa Rica has had, we are not feeling sorry. There are no reports of loss of human life or serious physical damage to Costa Ricans." Experts say the country may have been spared wide-spread destruction because the quake struck some 25 miles (40.8 km) below the surface. It was felt as far away as Nicaragua and Panama.