The 1991 Costa Rica earthquake, also known as the Limon earthquake or Bocas del Toro earthquake, occurred at 3:57 pm
local time (21:56:51
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
) on April 22. The epicenter of the 7.7
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
was in Pandora,
Valle La Estrella, in the Caribbean region of
Limon,
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
, southeast of
San José. The earthquake was the strongest recorded in Costa Rica's history, and was felt throughout the country as well as in western
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
.
Marino Protti: ‘Podíamos decir dónde y qué tan grande sería el terremoto 2012’
La Nación, 2014-02-05.
Damage
The earthquake claimed 48 lives in Costa Rica and 79 in Bocas del Toro, Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
. Roads and bridges between Limon and Sixaola were all destroyed, and the epicentral region was only accessible by helicopter from the Panamanian side.
Aftermath
The international bridge of Sixaola stayed intact. At the Changuinola "Capitán Manuel Niño" International Airport damage on the south end of the runway was severe, and very few planes were able to land. Helicopters were the primary aircraft bringing in relief workers, food, and supplies.
By 1993, the Changuinola-Guabito road was reconstructed with $10 million USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
funded by the Panamanian government, and new housing facilities were constructed in Finca 4 and Almirante. Reconstruction of the Limon-Sixaola road took months, and in 2010 the road was paved and coded as Highway 36.
See also
* List of earthquakes in 1991
* List of earthquakes in Costa Rica
* List of earthquakes in Panama
References
External links
El terremoto de Bocas del Toro 22 de abril, 1991 : Crónica del desastre
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:1991 Costa Rica Earthquake
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
Geography of Costa Rica
Earthquakes in Costa Rica
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
1990s tsunamis
Earthquakes in Panama
Tsunamis in Costa Rica
April 1991 in North America