Magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits southern Panama

A preliminary magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama just before 15:00 local time on Friday 9 October, damaging buildings, prompting evacuations in Panama City and triggering several large aftershocks, according to reporting by the BBC and The New York Times.²³

Damage and disruptions

The epicentre was reported to be about 10km from Pitaloza Arriba, at a depth reported as 12km by the BBC. The US Geological Survey figure cited by GMA News Online put the depth at 12.6km. The BBC reported widespread shaking and said about 4.6 million people experienced moderate to severe tremors.²⁴

In Penonomé and Soná, buildings either collapsed or appeared close to collapse, the BBC reported, including part of a cathedral and a local hotel. GMA News Online reported that social-media videos showed a damaged church and nearby collapsed structures in Penonomé. Omar Smith, head of Panama’s civil protection agency, reported effects in Chitré and along the Los Santos coast, according to GMA News Online.²⁴

Ricardo Brown, a 74-year-old resident of Las Minas in Herrera province, said several homes in his neighbourhood had been damaged. “We're scared. Only the two of us elderly people are here. He said cracks had appeared in the house and that they feared it might collapse on them.” No casualties had been reported when the BBC published its account, though the US Geological Survey assessment cited by GMA News Online said casualties were possible.²⁴

Power was out across six provinces and Tocumen International airport suspended flights, GMA News Online reported. Panama Canal operations remained normal, with about 90 vessels waiting at its two ends, according to the same report. Classes were suspended across the country, while schools in Panama City released pupils early.⁴

Capital evacuation and official response

Panama City, about 200km from the reported epicentre, saw people leave buildings and wait in streets and nearby parks until the movement stopped, the BBC said. Initial damage in the capital appeared to be confined to material falling from roofs. Sabina Rios, who lives on the sixth floor of a building in the city, said: “The quake felt strong and lasted a long time, the longest I’ve felt in years.”²⁴

President José Raúl Mulino said the entire government was being mobilised in response. He also said: “What happened should not be used to cause alarm or disorder.” Panama had been scheduled to conduct a national earthquake evacuation drill on the following Monday, according to GMA News Online.²⁴

Aftershocks and tsunami warning

Several large aftershocks were reported near the original earthquake, while GMA News Online reported more than a dozen aftershocks. Authorities canceled the tsunami alert for southern Panama, and GMA News Online said the threat had passed with no further tsunami danger remaining.²³⁴

According to Nestor Luque, who leads Panama’s geosciences institute, the quake was linked to the Azuero Sona Fault System. He said seismic signals had travelled across Panama’s territory, explaining why the shaking was felt widely, according to GMA News Online.⁴