A powerful, magnitude-7.9 earthquake shook Costa Rica this morning, prompting a tsunami warning throughout the region.
Costa Rican authorities said there were no immediate reports of deaths or major damage. Schools have been evacuated.
The USGS said the 8:42 a.m. quake struck about 38 miles from the town of Liberia and 88 miles west of the capital, San Jose. It was centered about 25 miles below the surface,
In the coastal town of Nosara in northwest Costa Rica, trees shook violently and light posts swayed. Teachers chased primary school students outside.
A tsunami warning was in effect for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru and a tsunami watch was in effect for Chile, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin. It said it was unknown if a tsunami was generated, but the warning was based on the size of the earthquake.
