A 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook Panama on Friday morning. The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 10 kilometers southwest of the city of Pitaloza Arriba and occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes are usually more dangerous and destructive.
Aftershocks and Damage
Following this earthquake, another quake with a magnitude of 6.6 occurred, and several aftershocks were felt. These tremors were strongly felt in the capital, Panama City, prompting people to take to the streets.
Rondeno Domic, 60, from the city of Hera, where the earthquake occurred, said: "We felt the earthquake very strongly. Items in the kitchen fell to the ground, but we are fine, although we are very scared." According to him, everyone is outside and in a state of fear.
Damage and Current Situation
José Raúl Molino, the President of Panama, described the earthquake as a major disaster and announced that roads near the epicenter had been destroyed. He did not provide information about human casualties.
According to reports from Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Services, most damage is concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Hera, and Los Santos. He reported several injuries as well as cracks and damage to the cathedral in the main square of the area. Damage to the governor's office building and the Dos Continentes hotel has also been reported.
Meanwhile, reports of the destruction of the historic San Atanasio Church in Los Santos province have emerged. This church was declared a national historic heritage site in 1938.
The U.S. tsunami warning system announced that dangerous tsunami waves could affect the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico within the next three hours. There was also a reported threat to Hawaii, which was later canceled on Friday afternoon.
Initially, there were no reports of damage to the Panama Canal, and canal officials stated that the waterway was operating normally. Tocumen International Airport in Panama City temporarily halted operations and activated evacuation protocols, but later reopened on Friday afternoon.
Panama is located in a seismic zone known as the "Ring of Fire," which is a line of earthquake faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur.
