Massive earthquake strikes Panama at magnitude 7.6, tsunami threat issued
- On Friday, October 9, 2026, a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck southern Panama near Pitaloza Arriba at a shallow 10 km depth, shaking buildings in Panama City and triggering widespread evacuations across the country.
- Panama lies along the 'Ring of Fire,' a 25,000-mile arc of fault lines where seismic activity recurs; this marks the fourth Latin American earthquake exceeding magnitude 7.0 this year.
- National Civil Protection Service official Omar Smith reported damage concentrated in Veraguas, Herrera, and Los Santos, including a collapsed cathedral tower in Penonomé and damaged hotel facade, with no casualties immediately reported.
- The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued alerts for nine countries warning of potential 3-meter waves, while the Panama Canal Authority confirmed operations on the critical trade waterway continue normally.
- Seismologists recorded more than 45 aftershocks as Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino called for calm on X, urging citizens to avoid alarm while rescue teams continue assessing the affected provinces.
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Hospitals had to be evacuated and both runways of the international airport were closed.
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Panama on Friday, damaging buildings and forcing evacuations. Footage published by local media showed the collapse of a cathedral and part of a hotel facade falling on a car in Penonomé, in the central part of the country. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the earthquake was near the southern tip of Panama, about 12 kilometers west-southwest of the remote communit…
A major earthquake shook Panama on Friday, resulting in collapses of buildings and roads as well as panic scenes in the capital An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 a
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in southern Panama was felt in the capital, Panama City. A tsunami warning was issued for the Pacific coast, and damage assessment work has begun throughout the country. In Santiago, commentators on a sports program were caught in the tremor live on air.
An earthquake of 7.7 magnitude struck the south of Panama on Friday, causing damage to buildings and causing thousands of people to go out into the street, but the country seems to have escaped widespread destruction or casualties, reports The Guardian.
Two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.6, and a series of aftershocks shook Panama on Friday afternoon. Some buildings near the epicenter collapsed and authorities ordered evacuations across the country.
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