哥斯達黎加發生7.9級強烈地震 致2人死亡

A powerful earthquake in north-western Costa Rica has killed two people.

The Red Cross said a 55-year-old woman died of a heart attack in Guanacaste, near the epicentre of the quake, and a construction worker was killed when a wall collapsed.

The US Geological Survey said the 7.6-magnitude quake occurred beneath the Nicoya peninsula, 140km (87 miles) west of the capital, San Jose.

A tsunami alert which had been issued for the area has been cancelled.

The quake rattled buildings in some parts of the capital, San Jose, Reuters news agency reported.

Power and communications were briefly knocked out, according to the Costa Rican authorities.

Regional media reported the quake could be felt as far away as Nicaragua and El Salvador.

The quake was filmed on traffic cameras and a newsroom camera-courtesy Teletica and Repretel.

The US Geological Survey originally said it had a magnitude of 7.9, but revised it down to 7.6.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which had at first issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific coast of most of Central and South America, has cancelled its alert.

President Laura Chinchillla said Costa Rica's emergency services were surveying the damage.

She said that so far there had been no reports of any serious damage to buildings.

【新聞快訊】

中新網9月6日電 綜合報道，北京時間5日22時42分，哥斯達黎加發生7.6級地震，截至目前，地震已造成2人死亡。

此外，美國太平洋海嘯預警中心解除了針對此次地震的海嘯預警。美國地質勘探局網站最初判定這次地震爲7.9級，但隨後下調爲7.6級。

地震發生時，哥斯達黎加全國均有震感，多地建築物劇烈晃動，樹木倒塌，供電和通信一度中斷。居民非常恐慌，都跑到街道上。紅十字會發言人說，地震已造成2人死亡，其中一人死於心臟病。哥斯達黎加勞拉·欽奇利亞在地震發生後呼籲人們保持冷靜，並表示地震沒有造成巨大損失。美國太平洋海嘯預警中心此前就此次地震對哥斯達黎加、巴拿馬和尼加拉瓜發佈海嘯預警，但數小時後解除。

這是10天來中美洲地區第二次發生7級以上地震，中美洲國家薩爾瓦多海域於北京時間8月27日12時37分發生里氏7.3級地震。

（中文新聞摘自中國新聞網）