4.3 Magnitude Quake Shakes Costa Rican Capital

A 4.3 magnitude earthquake shook the Costa Rican capital of San Jose early Saturday morning, with no initial reports of casualties or damage.

The quake struck at 1:23 am (0723 GMT) with an epicenter near the town of Alajuelita, in the southern San Jose metropolitan area, the country's National Seismological Network said.

Despite its strength, initial reports have cited no major injuries or damage to buildings, although residents in the capital area told local radio that house and car alarms had been triggered.

The country's earthquake observatory said that the quake, which was followed minutes later by two lesser-magnitude aftershocks, was not related to recent activity from the Turrialba volcano in eastern-central Costa Rica.

The volcano has spewed ash since Thursday and caused evacuations from areas in its vicinity.