Panama president declares ‘major disaster’ after powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake; over 80 aftershocks recorded

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino on Friday (Oct 09) declared a “major disaster” after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the Central American country, collapsing roads and buildings and injuring at least two people. “We are facing a major disaster,” Mulino said, adding that some roads near the epicentre had “completely collapsed”. He did not provide details of casualties.

The head of emergency operations, Rene Garcia, told AFP that there were no reports of fatalities so far. Two people were injured after being trapped in separate collapsed structures, one near a church in Veraguas and the other in a hotel in Cocle province, Garcia said.

Also read | Powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Panama, tsunami warning issued

What happened in Panama?

The shallow earthquake struck at 12:56 pm local time (1756 GMT), with its epicentre about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the town of Pitaloza Arriba in central Herrera province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The agency initially estimated the magnitude at 8.0 before revising it to 7.7.

The tremor was felt across the country, home to around 4.5 million people. In Panama City, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the epicentre, people rushed out of high-rise buildings as the shaking triggered panic.

“I was scared because the shaking was very strong and prolonged,” Salomon Andion, 46, told AFP after evacuating his 15-storey building for the second time following aftershocks.

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Airport shut, towns cut off

Panama City's international airport was temporarily closed, with several flights diverted as a precaution, according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority.

The Panama Canal Authority said shipping through the canal, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, remained unaffected and was operating normally.

Health Minister Fernando Boyd said Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos were among the worst-affected provinces. The town of Tonosi in Los Santos was completely cut off, and authorities were exploring ways to reach it by air because road access was impossible, he said.

A tsunami warning issued for the eastern Pacific was later lifted. More than 80 aftershocks have been recorded, including one measuring above magnitude 6.0, according to the local geosciences institute.

The education ministry has suspended classes in schools nationwide. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was closely monitoring the situation and was mobilising resources and personnel to assist at the Panamanian government's request.