A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, damaging buildings and roads, injuring at least 27 people, triggering evacuations and tsunami warnings, and being followed by a magnitude-6.6 aftershock and dozens of smaller tremors.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the main quake hit at 12:56 p.m. local time near Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, at a shallow depth of about 12.6 kilometers. Shaking was felt across Panama, including in Panama City, where residents fled offices, hospitals and high-rise buildings and gathered outside as aftershocks continued. Damage was concentrated in Herrera, Veraguas, Los Santos and nearby Coclé, with reports of collapsed or partially collapsed structures, cracked roads, damaged homes and falling debris.
A cathedral and portions of other historic and government buildings were among the structures reported damaged, while some power and transportation services were temporarily disrupted. The U.S. National Weather Service issued tsunami warnings for Panama and several neighboring Pacific nations, but the alerts were later lifted after no major destructive waves were reported. Panama’s president urged calm as emergency crews assessed the destruction, while officials said the Panama Canal remained operational and no deaths had been reported in the immediate aftermath.