Earthquakes Today Leave 27 Injured as 7.7-Magnitude Quake Collapses Roads Across Panama
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Panama on October 9, 2026, collapsing buildings and roads, injuring at least 27 people with no reported deaths, and triggering widespread panic and aftershocks amid earthquakes today reports from the region. [2] The shallow quake struck at 12:56 pm local time with an epicenter 10 km from Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, initially reported as magnitude 8.0 before revision to 7.7 by USGS. [2] At least 27 people sustained minor injuries across the country; the most affected provinces are Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos, where the town of Tonosi was completely cut off. [2] President Jose Raul Mulino described the event as a major disaster with some roads completely collapsed; he traveled to Penonome to coordinate response while calling for calm. [2] More than 80 aftershocks were recorded, including one above magnitude 6.0; the quake was felt across Panama, including in Panama City where skyscrapers were evacuated and objects were thrown around. [2] The Panama Canal continued operating normally, Tocumen International Airport was temporarily closed with some flights diverted, and no tsunami impact occurred after the initial warning was lifted. [2] Earthquakes are rare in Panama outside western Chiriqui province; this event is the fourth quake exceeding magnitude 7.0 in Latin America this year following major quakes in Venezuela and Colombia. [2]
Overview of the Panama Earthquake
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit at a depth of 12.6 km on Friday with an epicenter in a sparsely populated area about 200 km from the capital. [4] The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 12:56 pm local time with an epicenter 10 km from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in central Herrera province. [2] The USGS initially estimated it to be a magnitude-8.0 quake before revising it down to 7.7. [2] The shallow tremor was felt across the Central American nation of around 4.5 million people, according to the National Civil Protection System. [2] Nestor Luque, director of Panama's geosciences institute, attributed the quake to the Azuero Sona Fault System that he said contained a massive buildup of pressure that was occasionally released. [4] In Panama City, Luque said he counted 40 seconds of vibrations, though other areas may have felt even longer tremors. [4] The head of emergency operations Rene Garcia told AFP that there were no reports of fatalities so far. [2] This event stands out because strong earthquakes are not common in Panama and this one struck in the nation's southern coast. [4]
Damage and Injuries Reported
Buildings and roads have been destroyed after the violent earthquake. [5] This view shows a collapsed building and damaged cars after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the country, in Penonome, Panama, on October 9, 2026. [2] A church and a hotel in Penonome also suffered extensive damage, images shared on local media showed. [2] Former president Ricardo Martinelli posted pictures on Instagram of his house in the town of Sona in Veraguas province that collapsed. [2] Health Minister Fernando Boyd said the most affected areas were the provinces of Herrera and Cocle as well as Los Santos. [2] He said the town of Tonosi in Los Santos was completely cut off. [2] There were 27 people with minor injuries across the country as a result of the quake, according to a statement from the National Civil Protection System. [2] Benjamin Gonzalez, 52, said he was at a farm near the town of La Miel when the quake hit, and when he returned home he found many houses devastated and everyone terrified in the small town square, which was left without power. [2] An exposure report by the USGS estimated about 43,000 Panamanians lived in areas with at least severe exposure to the quake. [4] Cracks appear on the San Juan Bautista Cathedral in Penonome after the earthquake. [4]
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake collapsed roads and buildings in central Panama, injuring 27 people. — Source: copenhagenpost
Public Reaction and Evacuations
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. [2] “I was scared because the shaking was very strong and prolonged,” Salomon Andion, 46, told AFP after evacuating his 15-story building for the second time following aftershocks. [2] Heavy objects like dressers, the bed, and all the kitchen items were shaking. [2] A video widely shared on social media showed water falling from the rooftop pool of a building more than 20 stories tall. [2] Another showed a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking violently but remaining upright as vehicles travelled across it. [2] Office workers in the upscale business hub of downtown Panama City fretted about how to get home in the snarl of traffic, after the quake sent thousands into the streets. [4] Juan Sanchez, a 37-year-old economy ministry employee, waited for a bus he said he doubted would arrive. [4] Sabina Rios, who was on the sixth floor of an old US military-era building in Panama City, said the shaking was unusually strong and prolonged. [4] The quake felt strong and lasted a long time, the longest I've felt in years, Rios said. [4] David Castillo told AFP that residents were choosing not to return home because they are afraid it will happen again. [2]
Earthquakes Today Prompt Government and International Response
President Jose Raul Mulino said, “We are facing a major disaster,” adding that some roads had completely collapsed. [2] Mulino travelled to Penonome to coordinate the disaster response. [2] Mulino called for calm. [2] What happened should not be used to generate alarm and disorder, he wrote on X, adding that he had called for a report on the damage. [2] The education ministry announced the suspension of classes in schools nationwide. [2] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X on Friday that he was closely monitoring the situation, with his office rapidly mobilising resources and personnel to assist, at the Panamanian government’s request. [2] The leaders of Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala all sent messages of solidarity and offers of aid. [2] Panama City’s international airport, a major hub for the region, was temporarily closed. [2] Several flights were diverted to other airports as a precaution, according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority. [2] “We are trying to figure out how to get there by air, because it’s impossible by land,” Boyd said. [2]
Aftershocks and Seismic Context
More than 80 aftershocks, one above magnitude 6.0, were recorded by the local geosciences institute. [2] In the following hours, even as more than 40 aftershocks rattled the isthmus nation, the Panama Canal and Cobre Panama copper mine reported normal operations. [4] Earthquakes are rare in Panama and usually occur in western Chiriqui province, bordering Costa Rica. [2] The seismic signals have travelled throughout the national territory and that is why it could be felt everywhere, Luque said. [4] Panama was due to hold a national evacuation drill on Monday to test the country's emergency response. [4]
Unaffected Critical Infrastructure
The Panama Canal Authority said shipping through the channel, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, was unaffected and operating as normal. [2] The Tocumen International Airport lifted a suspension on flights. [4] A tsunami warning was issued for the eastern Pacific but later lifted. [2] Despite the force of Friday's tremor, the country appeared to have been spared the destruction of other recent powerful quakes in the region, with no deaths or injuries immediately reported. [4] Back-to-back quakes in Venezuela in June killed several thousand people, while a quake in Colombia in August killed more than 300. [4] This compares to nearly 1.4 million in the area of the twin quakes in Venezuela and over 1.6 million in the quake-hit zone of western Colombia. [4] 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. [2]
What to watch next: The education ministry suspension of classes nationwide remains in place while officials assess further aftershocks and coordinate aid offers from neighboring countries.
