Strong earthquake shakes Costa Rica, no major damage reported

The Central American country's Volcano and Earthquake Observatory (Ovsicori) said a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Panama and parts of Costa Rica on Wednesday. However there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.

The quake hit at 11:24 a.m. local time, sending panicked people running out of buildings in the Costa Rica port city of Golfito and knocking items from shelves in several southern towns.

"It was pretty strong and caused a scare but so far we've only had calls to report minor damage from items falling," said Luis Madrigal of the Red Cross in the Costa Rican city of San Vito de Coto Brus, near the epicenter.