Two powerful earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.7 and 6.6 struck southern Panama on Friday, triggering a series of aftershocks, damaging buildings and prompting evacuations across the country.
The first quake was initially recorded at magnitude 8 before the United States Geological Survey (USGS) revised it to 7.6 and later 7.7.
According to the USGS, the earthquake was centred about 10km southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a remote community in the central province of Herrera, at a depth of 10km. Tremors were felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia.
Residents in the capital, Panama City, rushed outdoors as buildings shook. Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who is from Herrera province, told The Associated Press that the tremor knocked items over in his kitchen.
“We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared,” he said. “Everyone is outside, scared.”
More than 45 aftershocks were recorded by seismologists at the University of Panama, including tremors measuring magnitudes 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2.
President José Raúl Mulino said authorities had no confirmed reports of fatalities as of Friday evening, although he warned that the situation could change as assessments continued.
“Nobody was ready, and no one is ever ready for this type of disaster,” he said, urging the public to remain calm.
The National Civil Protection Service reported damage concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos. Several people were injured, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in Penonomé, about 150km from the capital.
The cathedral in Penonomé’s main square also suffered a partial collapse and cracks, while damage was reported at the governor’s office building and the Dos Continentes hotel.
Local media reported that the Church of San Atanasio, a historic Catholic church in Los Santos province, had collapsed. The building was declared a National Historic Heritage Site in 1938.
Large cracks also appeared along roads in Veraguas province, while images showed damaged buildings and fissures cutting through road surfaces.
Despite the scale of the earthquakes, authorities reported no damage in Panama City. Carlos Valdés, head of the Seismology Department at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, suggested that Panama’s strict building codes, particularly those governing skyscrapers in the capital, may have helped limit the impact.
Tocumen International Airport temporarily suspended operations after the first quake but announced that it was reopening later on Friday.
The Panama Canal Authority said operations along the vital global trade route continued normally, while specialist teams inspected facilities for possible damage.
Tsunami warnings lifted across several countries
The earthquakes prompted tsunami warnings for coastal areas of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Alerts issued by El Salvador and Chile for Easter Island were also lifted later on Friday.
Néstor Luque, director of the Geosciences Institute at the University of Panama, said waves measuring between 1 and 3 metres were expected around Isla Cañas and the southern coast of Los Santos province, although major waves were not anticipated elsewhere.
Seawater had already reached homes near the coast on Isla Cañas, he said.
Panama lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a roughly 40,000km arc of volcanoes and fault lines where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. Seismic activity is common along its border with Costa Rica and its Pacific coast due to the interaction of several tectonic plates, including the Cocos, Nazca and Caribbean plates.
The last major earthquake to cause widespread damage in Panama occurred in 1991. A magnitude 7.4 quake centred in neighbouring Costa Rica killed 23 people, injured 559 and left thousands homeless in Panama’s border region of Bocas del Toro.
Regional and international support offered
Messages of support and offers of assistance arrived from across Latin America following Friday’s earthquakes.
Mulino said he had spoken with several regional leaders, including the presidents of Chile, Uruguay and Guatemala.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was closely monitoring the situation and rapidly mobilising resources and personnel to assist at the request of the Panamanian government.
“The United States stands with the people of Panama,” Rubio wrote on X.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella also expressed solidarity with Panama and offered assistance, saying his country was prepared to provide whatever help was needed.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez, Costa Rican President Laura Fernández Delgado, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and Peru’s government also offered support.
