A powerful 7.6‑magnitude earthquake struck Panama’s southern coast on Friday, with the US Geological Survey reporting the epicenter about 14 km southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near the town of Tonosí. The quake occurred just before 1 p.m. local time, and a second 6.0‑magnitude shock followed at 1:22 p.m. By 1:30 p.m. the region had experienced 13 aftershocks.
Buildings, schools and homes were evacuated across the country. Footage from La Prensa showed severe damage to structures in Penonomé, including the St. John Baptist Cathedral, and a highway west of the capital was split in half by the shaking.
President José Raúl Mulino urged calm on X, warning that the event should not generate alarm or disorder.
The USGS warned that hazardous tsunami waves could affect the coasts of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. A tsunami alert was also issued for Chile, but the warning was cancelled at 4:18 p.m. local time.
Other reports described the quake as a 7.7‑magnitude event at a depth of 12.6 km. The earthquake did not impact the Panama Canal, but it caused the Panama City Metro to suspend service on two lines for safety. Nationwide, the Ministry of Education ordered schools closed, and the country was scheduled to hold a national evacuation drill the following Monday to test emergency response capabilities.
