Costa Rica was hit by a strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake Tuesday that rattled the capital San Jose.

However, there were no reports of damage nor the threat of a destructive tsunami.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, is located over land, 86 miles west of the capital San Jose and 5 miles from the resort town of Nicoya, the Associated Press reported, citing the US Geological Survey.

The Republic cited residents of Matapalo, an hour drive from Nicoya, as saying they heard a roaring sound when the quake struck.

"I'm shaken. But it doesn't feel close to how it sounds like. The sound was deafening," said Alberto Canales, a receptionist at the Hotel Riu Guanacaste.

The initial quake was followed by a magnitude-4.5 aftershock.

"It is a very good likelihood that we are looking at an aftershock," said USGS geophysicist Rafael Abreu.

On Sept. 5, a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck a tourist area off Costa Rica's Pacific coast, knocking out power lines, damaging buildings and causing panic but no casualties.

US and Costa Rican seismologists said the quake was probably an aftershock of the Sept. 5 major earthquake, the Republic wrote.

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