A powerful earthquake struck Panama on Friday, injuring at least 27 people, damaging buildings and roads, and forcing the temporary closure of the country’s international airport. No deaths had been reported as of the latest official updates cited in the report.
The shallow tremor was felt across the Central American country, prompting evacuations from high-rise buildings and a children’s hospital as residents sought safety amid fears of further shaking.
Panama’s National Civil Protection System reported that 27 people sustained minor injuries. Emergency operations chief Rene Garcia said there had been no reports of fatalities.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially estimated the earthquake at magnitude 8.0 before revising it to 7.7. It struck at 12:56 p.m. local time, with its epicentre about 10 kilometres from Pitaloza Arriba, a small town in Herrera province.
In the capital, Panama City, about 200 kilometres from the epicentre, residents fled skyscrapers as the shaking continued. Salomon Andion, 46, said he evacuated his 15-storey building twice after the initial tremor and subsequent aftershocks.
“Heavy objects like dressers, the bed, and all the kitchen items were shaking,” he said.
Videos circulating on social media showed water spilling from the rooftop pool of a high-rise building and a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking while remaining upright as vehicles crossed it.
President Jose Raul Mulino described the situation as a major disaster, reporting that some roads had completely collapsed. He later travelled to Penonome to coordinate the emergency response.
Juana Alveo, a 38-year-old cashier in Penonome, said her daughter had been trapped at school during the earthquake.
Airport closed as authorities assess damage
Panama City’s international airport was temporarily closed, while several flights were diverted to other airports as a precaution, according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority.
The Panama Canal Authority said shipping through the canal, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, remained unaffected and operations continued normally.
Health Minister Fernando Boyd identified Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos as the worst-affected provinces. He said Tonosi, in Los Santos, had been cut off by damaged roads, forcing authorities to explore the possibility of reaching the town by air.
In the town of La Miel, resident Benjamin Gonzalez said he returned from a farm to find damaged homes and frightened residents gathered in a town square without electricity. Neighbour David Castillo said people were reluctant to return to their houses because they feared another earthquake.
A tsunami warning was issued for the eastern Pacific following the earthquake but was later lifted.
Aftershocks prompt further evacuations
Panama’s local geosciences institute recorded more than 80 aftershocks, including one exceeding magnitude 6.0. Images shared by local media showed extensive damage to a church and a hotel in Penonome.
Former president Ricardo Martinelli also posted photographs of his collapsed house in Sona, Veraguas province.
Mulino urged residents to remain calm and cautioned against spreading alarm as authorities worked to assess the damage. The education ministry announced the suspension of school classes nationwide.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was closely monitoring the situation and mobilising resources and personnel to assist at the request of the Panamanian government.
The leaders of Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala also expressed solidarity with Panama and offered assistance.
Earthquakes are relatively uncommon in Panama compared with the country’s western Chiriqui province, which borders Costa Rica and experiences seismic activity more frequently.
The earthquake adds to a series of powerful tremors reported across Latin America in 2026, following earthquakes exceeding magnitude 7.0 in Venezuela in June and western Colombia in August.
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