A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake and a spate of strong aftershocks struck Panama on Friday afternoon, sending panicked residents into the streets and disrupting daily life across the capital and surrounding regions.
The initial quake hit Panama at 12:56 local time (1756 GMT), with strong tremors felt across Panama City and multiple other regions. Shortly after the initial shock, the country was struck by multiple aftershocks each exceeding magnitude 5.
The earthquake and aftershocks left 27 people with minor injuries and multiple cities in provinces of Veraguas and Cocle with damages to buildings, bridges and roads, alongside power outages.
No deaths or missing persons have been reported so far, according to Panama's National Civil Protection System.
For local residents, the sudden tremor brought moments of intense fear and uncertainty.
"We were about to have lunch and everything shook horribly. We tried to go up to the roof, but the roof was locked, so I hurried back down. It was shaking while we were coming down," said Oswald Fajardo, a local resident.
The tremor was also felt within the public transport system of the capital, prompting the activation of evacuation protocols.
"I was at the San Miguelito metro station. I felt that it was horrible, horrible, horrible. That sensation was truly dreadful. Then, just a moment later, the metro alarm sounded for everyone to evacuate. Metro staff told everyone to stay calm, and people started to regain their composure a bit and evacuated immediately," said Doris Fajardo, a resident.
Although no major structural damage was reported in Panama City, the tremors forced residents into the streets as a precaution.
"Well, the earthquake was very strong. We were having lunch and went downstairs. We haven't gone back up, because the fire alarm went off and the water alarm was triggered. So we're waiting for the experts to arrive," said Ileana Jurado, a resident.
While government officials and emergency teams have been deployed across the country to monitor widespread impacts, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino traveled to the hardest-hit areas to coordinate response efforts and offer reassurance to shaken citizens.
As residents attempted to piece their routines back together, the earthquake forced the precautionary evacuation of hospitals, schools and offices. Widespread evacuations and hurried movement across the capital also triggered severe traffic congestion.
The Panama Canal Authority issued two official communiques confirming that neither the main earthquake nor its subsequent aftershocks affected normal canal operations, with vessel transits remaining entirely uninterrupted.
Powerful quake, aftershocks strike Panama, triggering damage, evacuation, panic
Powerful quake, aftershocks strike Panama, triggering damage, evacuation, panic
