Costa Rica Recovering From Earthquake

The country of Costa Rica suffered remarkably little damage from Wednesday's magnitude-7.6 quake — a few blocked highways, some collapsed houses and one death, of a heart attack caused by fright. Officials credited the relatively deep location of the quake and building codes that Costa Rican officials call as strict as those in California and Japan.

The quake was 25 miles below the surface. Tremors that occur deep underground tend to be less damaging, but their shaking can be felt over a wider area.

The quake was followed by three strong aftershocks of magnitudes above 4.

Costa Rica's anti-earthquake structural codes have been updated in line with the latest international standards three times since they were enacted in 1974, most recently last year.

Yes, some houses were damaged, and some landslides blocked roads, but with only one death. the country seems to have escaped a bigger disaster.

The last deadly quake to strike Costa Rica was in 2009, when 40 people died in a magnitude-6.1.