A powerful earthquake struck central Panama on Friday 9 October 2026, collapsing buildings near its epicentre and prompting evacuations across the country, according to reports by The Associated Press. The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the quake at magnitude 7.7, after initially reporting 8 and then revising it to 7.6.
The AP reported that the USGS located the quake about 10 kilometres south-west of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, in the central province of Herrera, at a depth of 10 kilometres. It was felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia. A later AP report said a second quake of magnitude 6.6 also struck, along with a series of aftershocks, several measuring 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2. Seismologists at the University of Panama recorded more than 45 aftershocks, many too weak to be felt.
Damage and Official Response
Omar Smith of Panama’s National Civil Protection Service said on the Telemetro Reporta channel that damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos, with no reports of damage in the capital. He said several injuries had been reported, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in Penonomé, and confirmed a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral in the district’s main square. AP said local news outlets reported that the colonial-style Church of San Atanasio in Los Santos province had collapsed, and that large fissures ran along roads in Veraguas province.
President José Raúl Mulino called for calm, writing on X that what happened “should not be used to cause alarm or disorder”. Tocumen International Airport in Panama City said it would temporarily suspend operations and activated evacuation plans, to resume once security conditions were checked. The Panama Canal Authority said operations were continuing normally while technical teams inspected facilities for possible damage.
Tsunami Warning and Regional Support
AP reported that the US National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala, saying waves of between one and three metres above the tide could occur in some coastal areas of Panama. The reports reviewed did not say whether the warning had been lifted. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella offered his country’s support, and the US Embassy said it was monitoring the aftermath.
AP noted that the last major earthquake to cause widespread damage in Panama struck in 1991, a magnitude 7.4 event centred in nearby Costa Rica that killed 23 people.
Why It Matters
Early reports of a large quake point to the scale of the task for emergency services, particularly in provinces where a cathedral, other buildings and roads have been affected. The reports reviewed gave no confirmed death toll, and early figures often change as assessments continue. Panama’s handling of the damage assessment and any aftershock risk will be the key developments to follow.
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