The Panama earthquake struck the Azuero Peninsula with a powerful rupture that seismic agencies measured differently as the event unfolded.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude of 8 then revised the reading to 7.6 and later to 7.7, while Panama’s geological institute placed the quake at 7.2.
The USGS located the epicenter near Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera Province at a shallow depth of 12.6 kilometers, and other reports placed the epicenter roughly 40 kilometers from Tonosí and 60 kilometers from Santiago.
President José Raúl Mulino visited hard hit areas and ordered all government agencies to mobilize, saying the disaster was severe and urging calm and compliance with official guidance.
SINAPROC, the National Civil Protection System, reported 27 people injured, citing its second bulletin, and Health Minister Fernando Boyd named Coclé, Los Santos and Herrera as among the hardest hit provinces.
Tocumen International Airport suspended operations briefly for inspections and then reopened, and the Panama Canal Authority said vessel traffic continued normally while emergency procedures and facility inspections were under way.
Damage Assessment Aftershocks And Response
Communities near the epicenter suffered structural damage and partial collapses, with local reports saying the colonial Church of San Atanasio and a cathedral tower in Penonomé fell during the shaking.
Residents reported destroyed hotels and private homes in Tonosí, fractured roads and widespread utility failures, and the electricity provider Naturgy recorded outages across six provinces.
Seismologists at the University of Panama recorded more than 45 aftershocks, while emergency operations director René García told CNN authorities had cataloged about 147 secondary tremors, including a 6.6 near Río Grande and a 5.8 near El Cacao.
SINAPROC urged evacuations and advised people to follow official channels to avoid misinformation, and the Ministry of Education ordered schools closed while engineers assess structural safety.
Tsunami warnings issued by the U.S. National Weather Service for parts of the Pacific coast were later lifted after monitoring found no significant wave activity, allowing some coastal residents to return.
Experts noted Panama’s strict building codes may have helped limit fatalities, according to Carlos Valdés of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, but authorities warned the toll could change as search and inspections continue.
