A powerful earthquake of 7.6 magnitude has rocked the north-western part of Costa Rica, the US Geological Survey said.

A tsunami warning is in effect for Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua.

The quake was centred about 50 miles (80km) south of the town of Liberia and was at a depth of 12.4 miles.

It rattled buildings and cut power in some parts of the capital of San Jose, Reuters news agency reported.

Power and communications in much of the country were briefly knocked out, according to Costa Rican authorities.

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

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

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reduced the area of the tsunami warning, which had earlier included the Pacific coast of most of Central and South America to Costa Rica and its immediate neighbours.

Douglas Salgado of the National Commission of Risk Prevention and Emergency Attention told the Associated Press news agency that there were no initial reports of damage or deaths in the earthquake zone.

He said officials were having problems reaching people in the area nearest the epicentre.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19490503

UPDATE:

Two people are reported dead – one from a heart attack and another from trauma – and at least 20 were injured, according to the Red Cross.

According to The Christian Science Monitor:

Despite what appears to be limited damage, the powerful quake has also rattled tourists and foreigners who have relocated to the country. The epicenter of this quake, along the northwestern coast, was about 50 miles south of the town of Liberia, an area popular among tourists.

Heillen Sanchez, the communications manager for World Vision based in San Jose, Costa Rica, in an e-mail. “It seemed very strong and lasted very long. The longer it lasted, the more I was worried it … could mean bad damage for some of the other areas of the country.”

The situation closer to the epicenter is still hard to gauge.

Sanchez says that World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian organization, is monitoring the situation. “We’re still waiting on reports to come in from our staff near the epicenter. I’m afraid that there may be some damage out there. I am really worried about people [there],” she says.