Powerful Earthquakes Strike Southern Panama

The report says Panama’s president has declared a major disaster after two earthquakes and dozens of aftershocks struck the country’s south. The main shocks, measured at magnitude 7.5 and 6.6, shook Herrera province on Friday. They destroyed buildings and disrupted power supplies. The article describes the event as devastating but provides no further details about casualties, the number or condition of damaged buildings, the extent of outages, or which communities were most affected. The report also does not identify the president by name or outline what the major-disaster declaration entails. It offers no information about evacuations, emergency services, relief operations, infrastructure damage beyond buildings and power supplies, or the likelihood of further aftershocks. As a result, the account is a brief initial description rather than a comprehensive assessment of the earthquakes’ consequences. Its central points are the two powerful shocks, continued aftershock activity, damage and disruption in Herrera province, and the national government’s disaster declaration. The article was published on October 10, 2026.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck near Panama’s southern tip on Friday morning, followed about two and a half hours later by a magnitude 6.6 quake. The tremors were felt more than 100 miles away in Panama City, where buildings shook and residents evacuated into the streets. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first quake was centered near Pitaloza Arriba; the second was west of Río Grande. More than 45 aftershocks were recorded, including several strong enough to measure between magnitude 5.2 and 5.8. A tsunami threat was initially issued for Panama’s coast but was later canceled. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said officials had not documented deaths as of Friday evening, while warning that the situation could change. Civil protection officials reported damage concentrated in Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos provinces. Several injuries were reported, including a person struck by debris in Penonomé. A cathedral there sustained a partial collapse and cracks, and damage was reported at a government building and hotel. Local outlets said the historic Church of San Atanasio in Los Santos had collapsed. Road fissures and damaged buildings heightened public concern. Tocumen International Airport temporarily suspended operations after the first quake, then began reopening Friday afternoon. Panama Canal operations continued normally while technical teams inspected facilities. The report places the disaster in the context of recent destructive earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia, and recalls a 1991 quake near Costa Rica that killed 23 people and caused widespread displacement in Panama’s Bocas del Toro region. Panama’s location near the Pacific Ring of Fire and several tectonic plates makes earthquakes common. Colombia and the U.S. Embassy in Panama expressed support and said they were monitoring the situation.

The article reports that two powerful earthquakes, measured at magnitudes 7.7 and 6.6, struck Panama on Friday afternoon, followed by a series of aftershocks. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the tremors caused buildings to collapse near the epicentre and prompted evacuations in different parts of the country. The first earthquake was felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia. The USGS placed the first quake’s epicentre about 10 kilometres (six miles) southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a remote community in the central province of Herrera. It occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres. The agency’s estimate of the first quake’s magnitude changed several times: it was initially reported as magnitude 8, then revised to 7.6, and later listed as 7.7. The report also describes residents visibly shaken in Panama City gathering outside while they waited for information about the quake’s impact. The article gives no details about casualties, the extent of damage beyond collapsed buildings near the epicentre, or the number of people evacuated. It likewise does not provide further information about the second quake or the aftershocks. Overall, the account focuses on the earthquakes’ strength and location, the immediate effects reported by the USGS, and the public response as people sought updates.