A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck near Panama’s southern coast Friday, shaking buildings as far away as Panama City and prompting tsunami warnings for several Central American countries. The earthquake, centered approximately 6 miles southwest of Pitaloza Arriba at a depth of 10 kilometers, was initially reported as magnitude 8.0 by the U.S. Geological Survey before being revised downward. Tremors were felt in Panama City, causing evacuations of buildings, including hospitals, and reports of structural damage in the provinces of Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos, and Coclé, where a cathedral in Penonomé collapsed and part of a hotel facade fell onto a car.
Tsunami warnings were issued for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru, with potential wave heights ranging from 3 to 10 feet in Panama and 1 to 3 feet in parts of Ecuador. Smaller waves were forecast for other coastal areas. Rosendo Domínguez, a resident of Herrera province, reported that the quake “knocked things over in the kitchen” but that he and his family were unharmed, echoing the fear felt by many who evacuated into the streets. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino urged calm, while the National Civil Protection Service monitored for damage.
The earthquake occurred along the “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active zone in the Pacific Ocean. While no casualties were immediately reported, the shallow depth of the quake suggests the potential for widespread effects. Footage shared online, though unverified, showed collapsed buildings in Penonomé and Soná. Panama was scheduled to hold a national earthquake evacuation drill in three days, and the event follows recent earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela.
Our reading is that the earthquake in Panama, while initially reported with a higher magnitude, appears to have caused structural damage and prompted widespread, though currently unquantified, fear among the population. The issuance of tsunami warnings to multiple countries suggests a potentially broad regional impact, and the shallow depth of the quake raises concerns about the extent of the damage. The differing initial reports from news outlets highlight the challenges of rapidly verifying information in the immediate aftermath of a significant event.
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