7.7 Earthquake Strikes Panama, Injures at Least 27 and Damages Buildings

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Azuero Peninsula in southern Panama on Friday at 12:56 local time, injuring at least 27 people and damaging buildings, roads and infrastructure across several provinces. The United States Geological Survey reported a depth of 12.6 kilometres and an epicentre near Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera Province. No deaths have been confirmed.

Injuries were reported in Coclé (17), Los Santos (6), Panama Oeste (2), Herrera and Veraguas. A hotel and several homes collapsed in Tonosí. Partial collapses affected a government building, a church and the Dos Continentes hotel in Penonomé. The Iguana Mall sustained minor damage. Nationwide, authorities listed damage to at least 142 homes, four residential buildings, 188 schools, 20 health facilities, 26 government buildings, 13 churches, seven hotels and nine bridges, along with water treatment plants and road sections.

More than 80 aftershocks followed, the largest measuring 6.6. Power outages occurred in six provinces. Tocumen International Airport suspended flights for several hours before resuming. The Panama Canal Authority stated that shipping operations continued normally after emergency inspections. President José Raúl Mulino described the event as a major disaster and travelled to the affected area to coordinate the response. He noted that some roads had completely collapsed.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned of possible waves of one to three metres but lifted the alert within hours. Local geoscientists attributed the quake to the Azuero-Sona Fault System. USGS early estimates suggested economic losses could reach 1 to 10 percent of Panama’s GDP. The earthquake was the strongest in that part of the country in more than seven decades.

Residents evacuated buildings in multiple cities. Structural assessments continue as aftershocks persist. The absence of fatalities despite the magnitude is linked to the relatively sparse population near the epicentre and the country’s building standards in the capital region, which lies farther away. Recovery efforts focus on restoring roads, power and temporary housing for displaced residents in Herrera, Coclé and Los Santos provinces.