A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on October 9. The tremors damaged buildings, caused power outages and suspended flights. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the focus lay at a depth of 12.6 km. The epicenter was located near the rural settlement of La Pitalosa in Herrera Province, on the Pacific coast. More than a dozen aftershocks followed the main earthquake.
The tremors were felt in various parts of the country, including the capital Panama City, as well as in San Jose, the capital of neighboring Costa Rica. Residents left their homes and remained on the streets, fearing new tremors.
"We are scared. There are only two of us here, old people. The house cracked, and we are afraid it could collapse on us," said 74-year-old Ricardo Brown from Herrera Province.
According to him, several homes were damaged in the Las Minas area.
In the city of Penonome, videos verified by Reuters showed a damaged church and collapses of neighboring buildings. The head of Panama's civil protection service, Omar Smith, reported on the consequences of the earthquake in Chitra and along the coast of Los Santos Province.
According to the energy company Naturgy, power outages occurred in six provinces. Tocumen International Airport suspended flights.
In the capital, the metro temporarily stopped operating. Many offices sent employees home early, causing traffic jams on the roads. Classes were suspended at educational institutions across the country.
At the same time, the Panama Canal, located about 203 km from the epicenter, continued to operate as usual.
After the earthquake, a warning was issued about possible dangerous waves along the Pacific coast of several countries. Later, the American tsunami warning system reported that the threat had passed.
The scale of the damage is being clarified. The USGS estimate of possible casualties is a preliminary forecast, not confirmed data on fatalities.