A magnitude 4.4 earthquake suddenly shook downtown San José on Monday afternoon. According to the official report from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori), the event had a particular feature: its epicenter was located exactly beneath the National Museum.

The seismic event occurred at 5:06 p.m. and, due to its shallow depth—barely 3 kilometers—the population in the capital perceived a strong, brief vertical “jolt,” which immediately triggered alarm in government buildings and businesses in the city center.

The tremor coincided with a session in the Plenary of the Legislative Assembly, where lawmakers had just voted on a bill. Due to the intensity of the shaking, the presidency of Congress ordered the immediate evacuation of the chamber as a safety measure.

For its part, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) conducted preventive monitoring in the minutes following the event. So far, authorities confirm that there are no reports of damage to critical infrastructure or affected individuals, although there were reports of falling objects in homes and offices near the epicenter.

Marino Protti, an expert from Ovsicori, explained that aftershocks have been recorded following the main event, including one of magnitude 2.6 that was also felt by some citizens. Specialists note that this type of activity is normal due to the local fault system that crosses the Central Valley and warn that additional low-intensity movements may occur in the coming hours or days.

This earthquake underscores the importance of keeping emergency protocols active in a densely populated urban area, where the shallowness of seismic sources increases the intensity with which tremors are perceived.