A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday afternoon, collapsing buildings, splitting roads and damaging more than 400 structures across nine provinces. At least 27 people were injured, but officials said no fatalities had been confirmed.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at about 1:56 p.m. local time, centered roughly 12 kilometers (7 miles) west-southwest of Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, at a shallow depth of 12.6 kilometers. The agency initially measured the quake at magnitude 8.0 before revising it to 7.7.
Damage across nine provinces
Panama’s National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) reported damage in Herrera, Cocle, Los Santos, Veraguas, Chiriqui, Panama, Colon and Panama Oeste provinces. Its preliminary assessment counted:
- 142 homes damaged or destroyed
- 188 schools and 20 health facilities damaged
- 26 government buildings, 13 churches and 7 hotels damaged
- 9 bridges damaged; multiple road sections and water treatment plants affected
In Penonome, the capital of Cocle province, one tower of the San Juan Bautista Cathedral collapsed and an entire side of the provincial government building fell away, exposing its interior offices. In the resort town of Playa Venao, a multi-story building collapsed onto cars parked beneath it. A hotel and several homes collapsed in Tonosi.
In Veraguas, the towns of Arenas, El Cacao and Quebro were cut off after roads collapsed. In Los Santos, five communities were isolated by damaged bridges, roads and landslides, and about 300 residents of Isla Canas were evacuated to higher ground. Power outages hit six provinces.
Aftershocks and tsunami scare
The mainshock was followed by 147 aftershocks, the director of the Emergency Operations Center, Rene Garcia, told CNN. The largest, a magnitude 6.6 tremor, struck hours later.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System initially warned of potentially hazardous waves along the Pacific coasts of nine countries, from Mexico to Peru. The threat was later lifted after sea-level readings showed no significant waves.
Response
President Jose Raul Mulino declared a “major disaster” and traveled to Penonome. “Nobody was ready, and no one is ever ready for this type of disaster,” he said.
The Panama Canal Authority said canal operations continued normally while technical teams inspected facilities. Tocumen International Airport briefly suspended flights for safety checks before resuming. Panama City suspended service on two metro lines and evacuated passengers from some stations; schools were closed nationwide.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was “rapidly mobilizing resources and personnel” at Panama’s request and published a 24-hour consular hotline for affected Americans.
A lighter toll than feared
About 4.6 million people felt moderate-to-severe shaking, and the USGS had warned that casualties were possible. The confirmed toll — no deaths, at least 27 minor injuries — was far lighter than recent earthquakes elsewhere in the region: back-to-back quakes in Venezuela in June killed more than 6,500 people, and an August quake in Colombia killed at least 289.
Seismologists credited Panama’s strict building codes, particularly for high-rises in the capital, with limiting the damage. In Panama City, the shaking sent thousands into the streets but caused no reported structural damage.
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey; Panama’s National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC); CNN; The Associated Press.
