A 7.7-magnitude Panama earthquake rattled the country’s south on Friday, damaging homes, cutting power, halting flights and sending residents into the streets, while triggering more than a dozen aftershocks.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at a depth of 12.6 km (7.8 miles) and that some casualties were possible. Television images showed elderly residents in tears in the streets as a series of weaker aftershocks rattled the country.
“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,” said Ricardo Brown, 74, in Herrera province in southern Panama, where the quake damaged several homes in his area of Las Minas.
Prolonged vibrations across the country
Nestor Luque, director of Panama’s geosciences institute, said the quake was triggered by the Azuero Sona Fault System, which has long contained a build-up of pressure. “It’s a system of active faults that occasionally, due to the accumulation of stress, release this amount of energy,” he said.
Luque said the seismic signals had travelled throughout the national territory, which is why the tremor could be felt everywhere. In Panama City, he counted 40 seconds of vibrations, though other areas may have felt even longer tremors.
Sabina Rios, who was on the sixth floor of an old US military-era building in Panama City, described the shaking as unusually strong and prolonged. “The quake felt strong and lasted a long time, the longest I’ve felt in years,” she said.
Damage and disruption
The epicentre was close to the rural community of La Pitaloza in a sparsely populated area of Herrera, near the Pacific coastline. Shaking was also felt as far as San Jose, the capital of neighbouring Costa Rica.
In Penonome, a city about halfway between the epicentre and Panama City, social media videos verified by Reuters showed a damaged church and nearby collapsed buildings. Omar Smith, who heads Panama’s civil protection agency, said impacts had also been reported in Chitre, the capital of Herrera, and along the coast in Los Santos province.
Power was down across six provinces, according to electricity provider Naturgy. Tocumen International airport, a major regional hub, suspended flights. The Metro halted service, traffic snarled across Panama City as offices released employees early, and classes were suspended nationwide.
The Panama Canal, about 126 miles (203 km) from the epicentre, was operating normally, with about 90 vessels waiting at both ends to transit or dock, according to monitoring data.
A tsunami threat triggered by the earthquake has passed, and no further tsunami danger remains, the US Tsunami Warning System said.
Why this Panama earthquake was so costly
Major earthquakes are rare in Panama, though tremors regularly jolt parts of Pakistan. The USGS estimated economic losses could amount to 1 percent to 10 percent of Panama’s gross domestic product. Panama had been due to hold a national evacuation drill on Monday next week to test the country’s emergency response capabilities.
Frequently asked questions
How strong was the Panama earthquake?
Magnitude 7.7, at a depth of 12.6 km, striking southern Panama on Friday with more than a dozen aftershocks.
Was the Panama Canal affected?
No. The canal, about 203 km from the epicentre, was operating normally.
Is there a tsunami risk?
The US Tsunami Warning System said the tsunami threat has passed and no further danger remains.
