Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Strikes Panama, Tsunami Threat Issued
The quake hit just before 1:56 p.m. ET near the Azuero Peninsula. The Panama Canal is operating normally. Damage reports are still coming in.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama on Friday afternoon. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit just before 1:56 p.m. Eastern Time.
The epicenter was about 12 kilometers west-southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, near the country’s Azuero Peninsula. It struck at a depth of 12.6 kilometers. The USGS initially measured the quake at magnitude 8.0 before revising the figure.
The National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami threat for the region. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said waves of one to three meters were possible along some Panamanian coasts. Smaller waves were possible in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras and Chile.
A magnitude 5.8 aftershock followed the main quake. The USGS put it about 6.2 miles south of Cacao, Panama.
President José Raúl Mulino called for calm in a statement posted to X. He said government agencies were investigating and would report what they found.
Local media reported structural damage in parts of the country, according to CNN. The USGS said some casualties were possible and extensive damage probable. It was not immediately clear whether the quake had caused injuries.
The Panama Canal Authority said the canal is operating normally. The shaking was felt in Panama City and in San José, Costa Rica, according to Reuters.
Deniro News will update this story as details come in.
