August 20, 1999
Web posted at: 12:13 p.m. EDT (1613 GMT)

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (CNN) -- A strong earthquake hit Central America on Friday morning, but no injuries were reported, and little damage resulted.

Costa Rican scientists estimated the earthquake's magnitude at 5.3, while U.S. researchers assigned it a 6.7 rating. It hit about 4:02 a.m. (6:02 a.m. EDT).

"Thank God, everything is normal," said Manuel Aguilar, of Costa Rica's Comision de Emergencia in San Jose. "Everyone is working normally. Absolutely nothing happened to us."

The temblor was centered near Quepos, a largely rural tourist center about 83 kilometers (52 miles) south of the capital, said Rodolfo Van derLaat, a researcher at Costa Rica's National University.

"It was very strong, lasting 20 to 30 seconds," he said. "So far, the worst damage is fallen objects."

Scientists' readings differed depending on their location, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado. The USGS measured the quake at 6.7 and placed its epicenter about 55 miles (90 km) south of San Jose.

Blakeman said the earthquake may not have radiated equally in all directions, resulting in different measurements by the two groups.

The Costa Rican quake came three days after a quake measured at magnitude 7.4 killed more than 10,000 people in Turkey.

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