Powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake destroys buildings, roads in Panama; over 80 aftershocks recorded

This aerial view shows the collapsed Cathedral (left) and the collapsed Penonome Governor’s Office building after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the country, in Penonome, Panama October 9, 2026. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Panama sparking panic in the capital, though no casualties or damage have been reported so far. — AFP pic

First Published: Saturday, 10 Oct 2026 9:28 AM MYT

PENONOMÉ (Panama), Oct 10 — A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Panama yesterday, causing buildings and roads to collapse in the center of the country but no immediate reports of casualties.

The shallow tremor was felt across the Central American nation of around 4.5 million people, according to the National Civil Protection System.

It lasted for around a minute.

In Panama City, about 200 kilometres from the epicentre, there were scenes of panic as people rushed to evacuate from the city’s emblematic skyscrapers.

This aerial view shows people being evacuated at the Hospital del Nino after a severe 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the country, in Panama City October 9, 2026. — AFP pic

“I was scared because the shaking was very strong and prolonged. Heavy objects like dressers, the bed, and all the kitchen items were shaking,” Salomon Andion, 46, told AFP after evacuating his 15-story building for the second time following aftershocks.

A video widely shared on social media showed water falling from the rooftop pool of a building that’s over 20 stories tall.

Another showed a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking violently but remaining upright as vehicles travelled across it.

“We are facing a major disaster,” President Jose Raul Mulino said, adding that some roads had “completely collapsed.”

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

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 1756 GMT with an epicentre 10 kilometres from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in central Herrera province.

The USGS initially estimated it to be a magnitude-8.0 quake before revising it to 7.7.

A tsunami warming was issued for the eastern Pacific but later lifted.

View at the beach after a severe 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the country, in Santa Catalina, Veraguas province, Panama October 9, 2026. A tsunami warming was issued for the eastern Pacific but later lifted. — AFP pic

The Panama Canal Authority said shipping through the channel, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, was unaffected and operating “as normal.”

Mulino travelled to Penonome to coordinate the disaster response.

Health Minister Fernando Boyd said the most affected areas were the provinces of Herrera and Cocle as well as Los Santos in the southeast.

He said the town of Tonosi in Los Santos was completely cut off.

“We are trying to figure out how to get there by air, because it’s impossible by land,” he said.

Panama City’s international airport, a major hub for the region, was temporarily closed.

Several flights were diverted to other airports as a precaution, according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority.

The leaders of Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala all sent messages of solidarity and offers to send aid.

This view shows a collapsed building and a damaged car after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the country, in Penonome, Panama, on October 9, 2026. — AFP pic

Over 80 aftershocks 

Earthquakes are rare in Panama and usually occur in the western Chiriqui province, bordering Costa Rica.

Former president Ricardo Martinelli posted pictures on Instagram of his house in the town of Sona in Veraguas province which collapsed.

A church and a hotel in Penonome also suffered extensive damage, images shared on local media showed.

Over 80 aftershocks, one above magnitude 6.0, were recorded by the local geosciences institute.

Writing on X, Mulino called for calm.

“What happened should not be used to generate alarms and disorder,” he said, adding that he had called for a report on the damage.

The education ministry announced the suspension of classes in schools nationwide.

The Panamanian quake is at least the fourth quake this year in Latin America surpassing 7.0 in magnitude, after devastating back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela’s Guaira in June and a powerful earthquake in western Colombia in August. — AFP