Costa Rica: Earthquake hits at 7.6 magnitude (VIDEO)
This 2009 photo shows a collapsed house is seen in San Miguel de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica after a strong earthquake rocked the country. On Sept. 5, 2012, Costa Rica was hit by another major quake.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake has struck Costa Rica 5 miles northeast of the city of Samara, Reuters reported. The US Geological Survey first reported the magnitude of the quake as 7.9, but the measure was soon revised.
NBC News reported that three people were dead and at least 20 injured as a result of the quake. Two of the deaths were from heart attacks, while the third person was crushed by a wall, NBC said, citing Vanessa Rosales, president of Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission.
According to Reuters, the Chilean navy declared a "tsunami alert warning" for the coast of its country. NPR, however, reported that a less serious "tsunami watch" was in effect in Chile.
As of 5:30 p.m. EST, tsunami warnings still appeared to be in effect for the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The Nicoya Peninsula area, the epicenter of the quake, has for years been talked about as the home of the potential "big one" for Costa Rica, as GlobalPost reported in 2009.
More from GlobalPost: Costa Rica prepares for the Big One
USA Today reported that the earthquake caused chaos, the collapse of several homes, and some damage to other buildings, but no deaths or injuries.
An initial tsunami warning meant to be issued for the Pacific was mistakenly said to apply to the Caribbean, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement. The tsunami watch for Caribbean countries was cancelled.
The video below, picked up by Costa Rica's La Nacion, shows the earthquake in action:
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