A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, sending thousands of people into the streets, collapsing historic structures, and triggering tsunami warnings across much of Central and South America — yet the country appeared, in the immediate aftermath, to have escaped the worst-case scenario of mass casualties. [1]
The Quake and Its Epicenter
The US Geological Survey placed the earthquake's epicenter roughly 10 kilometers southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, along Panama's Pacific coast, at a depth of approximately 12 kilometers. [1][3] The shallowness of the rupture is significant: the closer a quake is to the surface, the more destructive energy it can transfer to structures above ground. [2] The USGS estimated that around 43,000 Panamanians lived in areas with at least severe exposure to the shaking. [3]
The tremor lasted roughly a minute — long by earthquake standards — and was followed by more than 40 aftershocks in the hours that followed, complicating search and damage-assessment efforts across the isthmus nation. [2][3]
Tsunami Warnings Across the Region
Within hours of the quake, the US National Weather Service issued tsunami warnings for Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. [1] Chile's naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service issued its own separate warning. [1] The breadth of the alert zone underscored the seismic energy released by the event and the vulnerability of Pacific coastlines throughout Latin America.
Damage: Historic Buildings, Hotels, and Infrastructure
The most dramatic destruction was concentrated around Penonome, a city in central Coclé province roughly halfway between the epicenter and Panama City. Verified footage showed one side of a cathedral there had collapsed, along with one of its spires. [2] A local hotel was also reported to have almost completely collapsed. [2] Videos published by the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa showed the tower of a historic building and several balconies of a residential structure had also come down. [1]
President José Raúl Mulino acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating, "We are facing a major disaster," and noting that some roads had "completely collapsed." [3] Electricity provider Naturgy reported power outages across six provinces. [3]
In Panama City, roughly 200 kilometers from the epicenter, damage appeared more limited — largely debris falling from rooftops — but the psychological impact was acute. [2] Scenes of panic unfolded as residents evacuated the capital's emblematic high-rises. "I was scared because the shaking was very strong and prolonged. Heavy objects like dressers, the bed, and all the kitchen items were shaking," said Salomon Andion, 46, who evacuated his 15-story building. [3]
A widely shared video showed water cascading from the rooftop pool of a building more than 20 stories tall. Another captured a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking violently but remaining intact as vehicles crossed it. [3]
Voices from the Ground
Residents across multiple provinces described the terror of the shaking. Rosendo Dominguez, 60, from Herrera province near the epicenter, told The Associated Press: "We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we're okay, though we're very scared. Everyone is outside, scared." [1]
Ricardo Brown, 74, also in Herrera province, told Reuters his neighborhood of Las Minas had suffered significant home damage. "We're scared. It's just the two of us old folks here. The house has cracked and we're afraid it could fall on us," he said. [2]
In Penonome, Juana Alveo, a 38-year-old cashier, described the moment of impact: "It was horrible, like nothing we ever experienced. My daughter was trapped in school." [3] In Panama City's business district, office workers faced a more mundane but telling problem: how to get home. "They evacuated all of these buildings. Everyone is outside. Now the problem is, how do we get home?" said Juan Sanchez, 37, an economy ministry employee waiting for a bus. [3]
Government Response and Critical Infrastructure
President Mulino said his entire government was mobilizing in response, while also urging restraint: "What happened should not be used to cause alarm or disorder." [2] Panama's Ministry of Education ordered schools closed. [1]
Despite the scale of the event, two of Panama's most economically critical assets reported normal operations within hours. The Panama Canal and the Cobre Panama copper mine both said they were functioning as usual, and Tocumen International Airport lifted a temporary suspension on flights. [3]
The USGS estimated that economic losses from the earthquake could amount to between 1% and 10% of Panama's gross domestic product — a wide range that reflects the still-incomplete picture of damage on the ground. [3] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was "closely monitoring reports" and that the United States stood ready to assist if needed. [3]
A Region Already Battered
Friday's earthquake arrives at the end of a particularly brutal year for seismic activity in Latin America. In June, twin earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, killing at least 6,500 people. [1] In August, a magnitude 7.4 quake hit Colombia, leaving at least 289 dead. [1] Strong earthquakes are historically uncommon in Panama itself, a fact reflected in the visible distress of older residents who were seen weeping as they evacuated into the streets. [3]
What to Watch Next
In the coming hours and days, the critical unknowns are the death toll — which remained unclear at time of publication — and the full extent of structural damage in the Herrera and Coclé provinces closest to the epicenter. Tsunami monitoring agencies across the region will be tracking wave activity along Pacific coastlines. The USGS's wide economic-loss estimate will narrow as damage assessors reach more remote communities. Panama had, with some irony, been scheduled to hold a national emergency evacuation drill the following Monday. [3]