Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes southern Panama, prompting disaster declaration as tsunami warnings sweep the region

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, collapsing buildings and roads and sending thousands of people into the streets. President José Raúl Mulino declared a major disaster in the quake’s aftermath.

The US Geological Survey reported the quake struck just before 15:00 local time (18:00 GMT), with an epicenter about 200km from Panama City and about 10km from the town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama. USGS placed the depth at roughly 12km, making it a shallow event, and the tremor lasted about a minute. About 4.6 million people felt moderate to severe shaking, per the USGS, while an agency exposure report estimated that about 43,000 Panamanians lived in areas with at least severe exposure. More than 40 aftershocks rattled the country in the following hours.

Collapsed buildings and cracked homes

Collapsed or damaged buildings were reported in the town of Penonomé, where verified footage shows one side of a cathedral collapsed along with one of its spires. Another video showed a local hotel had almost completely collapsed. In Panama City, damage appears limited to debris falling from roofs, though people evacuated buildings and took to the streets in scenes of panic. Nestor Luque, director of the national geosciences institute, said he counted 40 seconds of vibrations in the capital. Strong earthquakes are not common in Panama, and some elderly residents were in tears as they evacuated. Juana Alveo, a 38-year-old cashier in Penonomé, said: “It was horrible, like nothing we ever experienced. My daughter was trapped in school.” Ricardo Brown, a 74-year-old resident of Las Minas in Herrera province, said the quake damaged several homes in his neighborhood. “We’re scared. It’s just the two of us old folks here. The house has cracked and we’re afraid it could fall on us,” he said.

President Mulino said some roads had “completely collapsed” and addressed the nation as his entire government mobilized. A video widely shared on social media showed water falling from the rooftop pool of a building over 20 storeys tall. Another showed a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking violently but remaining upright as vehicles travelled across it. Juan Sanchez, a 37-year-old economy ministry employee, waited for a bus downtown after evacuating. “They evacuated all of these buildings. Everyone is outside. Now the problem is, how do we get home?” he said.

Tsunami warnings issued and cancelled

Tsunami warnings were initially issued for 11 countries neighbouring Panama before the US Tsunami Warning System later confirmed there was no threat.

Canal and airport resume normal operations

The Panama Canal was unaffected and reported normal operations, as did the Cobre Panama copper mine. Tocumen international airport lifted a suspension on flights. Electricity provider Naturgy reported power outages in six provinces. The USGS estimated economic losses could amount to between 1% and 10% of Panama’s GDP.

Drill planned, regional context

Panama was scheduled to hold a national evacuation drill for a major earthquake on Monday next week, three days after the quake struck. The earthquake follows devastating earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela earlier this year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media that he was closely monitoring reports and the US was ready to help if needed.