Two major earthquakes and multiple aftershocks struck Panama on Friday, prompting evacuations, infrastructure checks and tsunami warnings.
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A magnitude 7.7 earthquake and a magnitude 6.6 quake struck Panama on Friday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, triggering evacuations and widespread checks across the country.
The earlier quake was centered about 10 kilometres (6 miles) southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, in Herrera province, at a depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles). The USGS initially reported the earthquake as magnitude 8, later revising it to 7.6 and then to 7.7.
Residents reported strong shaking. Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who is from Herrera province, said the quake knocked things over in his kitchen and that everyone was outside, scared.
Aftershocks continued to rattle Panama, including events measuring magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2. Seismologists at the University of Panama recorded more than 45 aftershocks, though many were too weak to be felt.
In a public call for calm, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino wrote on X that what happened “should not be used to cause alarm or disorder.” Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Service said damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos, and he said there were no reports of damage in the capital.
Smith said several injuries have been reported, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in Penonomé, about 93 miles (150 km) from Panama City. He also confirmed a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral in Penonomé’s main square, along with damage in the governor’s office building and the Dos Continentes hotel.
No casualties were immediately reported. Local reports also said the Church of San Atanasio, in Los Santos province, collapsed; the church had been declared a National Historic Heritage Site in 1938.
In Panama City, Tocumen International Airport said it would temporarily suspend operations and activate evacuation plans while security conditions were checked. The Panama Canal Authority said operations were continuing normally and that specialized technical teams were inspecting facilities for possible damage.
The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala, warning that waves ranging from 3 to 9 feet (1 to 3 metres) above tide may occur in some coastal areas of Panama. Alerts were also issued in El Salvador and as far as Chile’s Easter Island, about 3,500 kilometres (2,175 miles) off Chile’s mainland coast, where the Chilean government placed the island under a precautionary advisory.
Nearby countries sent messages of support. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella wrote on X that “Panama is not alone,” and said Colombia was ready to provide whatever assistance is needed. The U.S. Embassy in Panama said it was “closely monitoring” the aftermath and accounting for the welfare of its citizens in Panama.
Earthquakes are common in the region because of the interaction of multiple tectonic plates, including Cocos, Nazca and Caribbean plates. Panama sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a 40,000-kilometre (25,000-mile) arc of volcanoes and fault lines around the Pacific Basin, where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
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