Nov 20, 9:33 AM EST

Quake Rattles Costa Rica During Summit

By MARIANELA JIMENEZ
Associated Press Writer



SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) -- A strong, early morning earthquake Saturday jolted the Costa Rican capital, where leaders of 21 nations were gathered for the Ibero-American Summit.

Local radio stations said there were scattered reports of collapsed walls, shattered windows, toppled trees and landslide-blocked highways from the quake, which hit at 2:07 a.m. local time.

Red Cross spokesman Luis Huertas said a 64-year-old woman in San Jose died of a heart attack and that several people suffered minor injuries. All the summit figures were reportedly unharmed.

The U.S. National Earthquake Information Center said the quake had a magnitude of 6.2 and was centered 30 miles south-southwest of San Jose.

Falling trees knocked out power to the area around Quepos and the beach town of Jaco, said Rebeca Madrigal, spokeswoman for the National Emergency Commission. Parts of the capital also briefly lost power.

The police station on the Pacific island of Damas reportedly collapsed.

Jorge Rojas, a security official at the hotel where the summit is headquartered, said some of the leaders fled their rooms when the quake hit. He said none had been harmed and that there was no damage there.

At another hotel nearby, some people sobbed with fear as they ran from their rooms.

The king and queen of Spain and officials from 19 Latin American nations were attending the summit, which formally opened Friday night. Six heads of state had sent lower-ranking officials and some, notably the president of Mexico, had reportedly left Friday night.