Two consecutive earthquakes shook San José, the capital of Costa Rica, and the country's main cities early Monday morning, causing alarm among the population and the fall of objects in some places.
The first earthquake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, occurred at 01:37 local time (07:37 GMT) and had its epicenter in Cascajal de Coronado, less than 15 kilometers north of San José, at a depth of seven kilometers, reported the National Seismological Network of the University of Costa Rica, according to news agencies.
#EarthquakeCR #CREarthquake Revised, 24-8-2026, 1:37 am, Mag: 5,4 Mw, Depth: 7 km, 11 km North of Cascajal, V. de Coronado pic.twitter.com/ZjzaxcbFcn
— National Seismological Network University of Costa Rica (@RSNcostarica) August 24, 2026
Two minutes later, another tremor, measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, was felt in the same location, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Due to both its shallow depth and its proximity to the capital, the earthquake was reported to have been felt strongly in the main population centers of the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, especially by residents in the northern region.
During a brief tour conducted by Xinhua in the area near the epicenter, it was observed that many people left their homes in the middle of the night, fearing the earthquake and its aftershocks. So far, the National Emergency Commission has reported no significant damage or injuries as a result of the event.
