2012 Costa Rica earthquake occurred at 08:42 local time ( 14:42 UTC ) on September 5 . The epicenter of the 7.6 Mw earthquake was in the Nicoya Peninsula , 11 kilometers east-southeast of Nicoya . A tsunami warning was issued shortly afterwards , but later cancelled . Two people are known to have died , one from a heart attack and another , a construction worker , crushed by a collapsing wall . It was the second strongest earthquake recorded in Costa Rica 's history , following the 1991 Limon earthquake
1991 Limon earthquake
1991 Limon earthquake
2012 Costa Rica earthquake