Panama Earthquake: 200+ Aftershocks as State of Emergency Declared

Panama has recorded more than 200 aftershocks after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the country’s central provinces on Friday, October 9. The government has declared a national state of emergency as it responds to what President Jose Raul Mulino called “a major disaster.”

27 injured, nearly 900 homes damaged

No deaths have been reported, but at least 27 people were injured, according to the National Civil Protection System. Nearly 900 homes have been damaged, and officials say the figure could rise as damage assessments continue in remote communities.

The earthquake struck at 12:56 p.m. local time. The United States Geological Survey said the epicenter was 10 kilometers from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in central Herrera province. The first reading put the magnitude at 8.0, but later data settled at 7.7.

Damage has been reported across all 10 provinces and two Indigenous territories. The hardest-hit areas include Veraguas, Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos provinces. At least 14 bridges were damaged in Veraguas and Los Santos, and some roads have completely collapsed.

Church collapses, island residents evacuated

In La Villa de Los Santos, homes and the colonial-era Church of San Atanasio collapsed. Around 300 people were evacuated from Isla Cana off the Los Santos coast amid rising seas and rough surf.

“It was horrible, like nothing we ever experienced. My daughter was trapped in school,” Juana Alveo, a 38-year-old store cashier from the city of Penonome in Cocle province, told AFP.

In Panama City, about 200 kilometers from the epicenter, people fled skyscrapers in panic. Videos shared on social media showed water falling from a rooftop pool of a building more than 20 stories tall. Another clip showed a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking violently but remaining standing.

$100 million relief fund, US sends help

The emergency declaration allows the government to allocate up to $100 million in relief funds without exceeding its 2026 fiscal deficit target of 3.5% of gross domestic product, the Economy Ministry said.

The United States has pledged $5 million in assistance and is sending a 20-member team to help with rescue operations and infrastructure assessments, US Ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera said.

President Mulino visited affected areas to deliver aid and called for urgent repairs to roads and bridges to help relief efforts. Classes were suspended nationwide on Monday so engineers could inspect damaged school buildings. The Panama Canal said shipping operations were not affected.

Nestor Luke, director of the University of Panama’s Institute of Geosciences, said aftershocks were continuing but weakening. “Their magnitude is decreasing and the intervals between them are getting longer,” he told Reuters.

On Monday, another 6.1-magnitude tremor struck near Rio Grande, according to the United States Geological Survey, a reminder that the ground remains unstable.