2009 Costa Rica earthquake
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| Date | January 8, 2009 |
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| Magnitude | 6.2 Mw (6.2 ML) |
| Depth | 4.5 km (2.8 mi)[1] |
| Epicenter | 10°11′49″N 84°09′32″W / 10.197°N 84.159°WCoordinates: 10°11′49″N 84°09′32″W / 10.197°N 84.159°W |
| Countries or regions |  Costa Rica, Nicaragua |
| Casualties | 34 dead, 91 injured,[2] 56 missing |
The 2009 Costa Rica earthquake (also known as Cinchona Earthquake), occurred at 1:21:34 pm local time (19:21:34 UTC) on January 8, 2009. The epicenter of the 6.1 Mw earthquake was in northern Costa Rica, 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-northwest of San José.[1] The earthquake was felt all over Costa Rica as well as in southern central Nicaragua.[1]
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[edit] Damage
The earthquake took at least 34 lives,[3] including at least three children, left about 64 people missing,[3] and injured at least 91.[2] Hundreds of people were trapped and two villages had been cut off.[4] Most of the victims died when a landslide occurred near the La Paz waterfall by the Poás Volcano, and 452 people including 369 tourists were evacuated from the area in helicopters.[5] 1,244 people were displaced in the immediate aftermath.[3][6] In addition, a hotel, houses, roads, and vehicles were damaged, and several bridges were also destroyed.[5] The town of Cinchona was heavily hit, and all of the buildings there were heavily damaged.[7] Power was temporarily disrupted in San José.[1]
[edit] Aftermath
The Costa Rican Red Cross sent 400 personnel to assist in the recovery.[6] The agency said, "Some 42 communities were affected and sustained serious impacts on civil and electrical infrastructure... [They] are going to need a lot of help."[6] Four helicopters were also dispatched in order to help aid efforts.[6] The Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (National Emergency Commission) also requested for private helicopters to help with the aid.[8] Additionally, the United States and Colombia dispatched helicopters with aid to assist with the relief and recovery efforts.[9]
About 2,000 aftershocks have been felt throughout Costa Rica.[3]
On January 12, the president Oscar Arias declared National Grieving of 5 days out of respect for the victims, and asked the organizers of the Fiestas de Palmares[disambiguation needed 
] to postpone them.
On January 13, the 'Banco de Costa Rica' announced that it would offer home financing credit to homeowners who want to rebuild or fix their home.[10]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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Wikinews has related news: Strongest earthquake in 150 years hits Costa Rica |
- ^ a b c d "Magnitude 6.1 - COSTA RICA". United States Geological Survey. 2008-01-09. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009bpba.php#details. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ a b "Costa Rica contabiliza 18 muertos y 56 desaparecidos por terremoto". La Prensa Gráfica. 2009-01-10. http://www.laprensagrafica.com/index.php/internacionales/mundo/11435.html. Retrieved January 2009.
- ^ a b c d "34 dead, dozens missing from Costa Rica quake". CNN News. January 11, 2009. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/10/crica.quake/index.html.
- ^ "Four killed in strong Costa Rica quake, tourists trapped". The Age. 2009-01-09. http://news.theage.com.au/world/four-killed-in-strong-costa-rica-quake-tourists-trapped-20090110-7ds2.html. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ a b Benavides, Roger (2009-01-09). "Tourists evacuated after fatal Costa Rica quake". Reuters. http://uk.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUKN09283823._CH_.2420. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ a b c d Sabo, Eric; Robin Stringer (2008-01-09). "Costa Rica Earthquake Rescuers Try to Help Thousands (Update1)". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aeYPxZS53OA0&refer=latin_america. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ Jimenez, Marianela (2008-01-09). "Death toll in Costa Rica quake rises to 5 victims". Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j6U3SIe2xtJQdfeJ9zln57FfmRLQD95JOUFO1. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ "13 Dead, Many More Missing In Afternoon 6.2 Earthquake". InsideCostaRica. 2009-01-09. http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2009/january/09/nac01.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Garnica, Vanessa I. "Costa Rica, Nicaragua Daily News." Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times, News, Costa Rica Real Estate, Travel – Costa Rica News, Costa Rica Earthquake. 13 Jan. 2009. <http://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2009_01/0115092.htm>.
[edit] External links
- Latest news articles about the Costa Rica Earthquake
- EarthScope USArray Array Network Facility records Costa Rica Earthquake - maps and waveforms from the event
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