Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Hits Panama, Causing Widespread Shaking
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck southern Panama, causing significant damage and triggering tsunami warnings in several countries.
· 2 countries
Earthquake Details
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit southern Panama on Friday, just before 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT).
The earthquake's epicentre was about 6.2 miles (10km) from the town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
About 4.6 million people felt moderate to severe tremors, with the effects likely to be widespread, according to the USGS.
Impact and Response
Buildings in the towns of Penonomé and Soná, including a collapsed cathedral, were damaged, as verified footage showed.
In Panama City, the service on two lines of the Panama City Metro was temporarily suspended for safety reasons, and schools were closed.
Tsunami warnings were issued for 11 countries, including Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, but the Panama Canal was unaffected.
Quake Context
The earthquake occurred just three days before Panama was scheduled to hold a national evacuation drill for dealing with a major earthquake.
This event follows other significant earthquakes in the region, including a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia in August, which killed at least 289 people.
Panama's President José Raúl Mulino said his entire government was mobilising in response to the earthquake.
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