Earthquake Kills Newborn in Panama
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — An infant was killed by falling debris and dozens of people were injured when a strong earthquake shook the border region straddling Costa Rica and Panama early Thursday, Panama’s federal relief agency reported.
The quake had a magnitude of 6.3 and a depth of 21 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
A 2-week-old girl died when a portion of her home collapsed during the quake in the Pacific coast town of Puerto Armuelles, Panama, said Omar Smith, director of operations for Panama’s National Civil Protection System. He added that at least three houses fell down and five people were injured in Puerto Armuelles, a few miles east of the border with Costa Rica.
The epicenter was estimated to be about seven miles northeast of the town in Panama’s Chiriqui province, Smith said.
A hospital in Neily, Costa Rica, treated 40 people for light injuries, mostly from falling household objects.
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