Unnerved Panamanians sleep in streets as aftershocks rattle quake-hit towns

LA VILLA DE LOS SANTOS, Panama (AP) — Unnerved residents of rural Panama awoke Saturday on the streets as the aftershocks of two powerful earthquakes that roiled the country shook their communities for hours.

The 7.7- and 6.6-magnitude earthquakes toppled buildings near the epicenter and prompted evacuations across the Central American country. Seismologists at the University of Panama recorded dozens of aftershocks, including ones measuring magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2.

The earlier quake, felt as far away as neighboring Colombia, was centered about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, in the central province of Herrera, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Panamanian authorities had not attributed any deaths to the earthquakes.

In La Villa de Los Santos, a colonial-era community about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of the epicenter, homes and a historical Catholic church collapsed. People who spent the night on the streets were waiting for the government's guidance on what to do next.

"We’ve been here since 1 p.m. yesterday; we haven’t moved," Tony Jiménez, whose home partially collapsed, said while sitting with relatives under a tent. “It was a terrible thing. I can tell you with absolute certainty that in my 90 years, I had never experienced anything like it. It was intense—truly intense.”

Images of crumbling buildings and deep fissures slicing through roads added to fears across a region battered by a series of devastating earthquakes in recent months.

Two back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes roiled Venezuela’s La Guaira state in June, killing more than 6,500 people and leaving 17,000 homeless. In August, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Colombia killed at least 289 people.

The notably lower toll in nearby Panama may have been due to the country's strict building codes, especially governing construction of skyscrapers in the capital, said Carlos Valdés, head of the Seismology Department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Service said that damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos. He said there were no reports of damage in Panama City.

Smith said several injuries have been reported, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in the city of Penonomé, around 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the capital. He confirmed a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral in the district’s main square, as well as damage to the governor’s office building and the Dos Continentes hotel.

The Church of San Atanasio in La Villa de Los Santos collapsed. It was declared a National Historic Heritage Site in 1938. Elsewhere, including in Veraguas province, large fissures ran along roadways.

Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, one of the region’s busiest airports with more than 20 million passengers in 2025, temporarily suspended operations after the first quake but said Friday afternoon that it was reopening.

The Panama Canal Authority said operations were continuing normally along the global trade route. It said its priority was the safety of employees, vessels and crews and that specialized technical teams were inspecting facilities for possible damage.

The last major earthquake to cause widespread damage in Panama struck in 1991. A magnitude 7.4 quake, centered in nearby Costa Rica, killed 23 people, injured 559 and left thousands of people homeless in the border Bocas del Toro region.

Earthquakes are common, especially along Panama's border with Costa Rica and its Pacific coast, because of the interaction of several tectonic plates, including the Cocos, Nazca and Caribbean plates.

Panama lies along the “Ring of Fire,” a 40,000-kilometer (25,000-mile) arc of volcanoes and fault lines around the Pacific Basin, where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City, and Zamorano y Solís reported from Panama City. Associated Press writers Regina Garcia Cano and María Verza in Mexico City; Clara Preve in Buenos Aires, Argentin; Gabriela Molina in Quito, Ecuador; Eléonore Hughes in Rio de Janeiro; and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A partially collapsed building stands after an earthquake struck Penonome, Panama, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aris Mariota)

People stand outside a building after an earthquake struck Panama City, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Alma Solis)

Vehicles lie crushed beneath a collapsed hotel after an earthquake struck Penonome, Panama, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aris Mariota)

A statue lies on the ground after being knocked off its pedestal by an earthquake in Penonome, Panama, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aris Mariota)

A vehicle lies crushed beneath a collapsed building after an earthquake struck Penonome, Panama, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aris Mariota)

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer gave away the Bundesliga’s fastest ever goal, Rayo Vallecano fans forced their La Liga game to be suspended, and Arsenal returned after the extended international break with a win on Saturday.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said his team’s visit to Augsburg was a “priority game” after its only league loss against Augsburg in Munich last season, but he can’t have imagined making a worse start to what ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw — the second time in five games that Bayern has dropped points this season.

It began with Bayern playing the ball back from the kickoff to Neuer, who botched his attempt at a chipped clearance and allowed Robin Fellhauer to score after just eight seconds.

Bayern had to wait till the 55th minute for Ismael Saibari to equalize, only for Rodrigo Ribeiro to restore the home team’s lead nine minutes later.

Luis Díaz had two goals ruled out through VAR for offside before Nathaniel Brown finally equalized in the 81st.

Bayer Leverkusen, the only team to break Bayern’s dominance in any of the last 14 seasons, held on for a 4-3 win in Mainz, continuing its upturn in form under Spanish coach Carles Martínez.

Livan Burcu scored late for Union Berlin to beat promoted Elversberg 1-0 for its first win of the season.

Also, Miro Muheim scored in stoppage time for Hamburger SV to win at Hoffenheim 3-2, and Stuttgart enjoyed a 2-0 win in Paderborn.

Leipzig hosted Eintracht Frankfurt later.

Rayo fans forced a suspension of their team's match against Athletic Bilbao by repeatedly throwing paper airplanes and other objects onto the field in protest against club owner Raúl Martín Presa.

It was Rayo’s first league game of the season at home since city authorities closed the stadium over safety concerns. Presa has long been unpopular among Rayo fans since taking over the club in 2011.

Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona were all playing later.

Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimarães scored as defending champion Arsenal recovered to beat Leeds 2-1 in the Premier League.

It was the perfect way for Arsenal to celebrate coach Mikel Arteta extending his contract this week and bounce back from a hefty defeat at Brighton before the three-week break.

With a visit to Manchester City to come in the Champions League on Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain was going to rest Ousmane Dembélé and Nuno Mendes for promoted Le Mans' visit late Saturday.

The 16-year-old goalkeeper Arthur Barwas was in PSG’s squad for the first time.

Monaco and Paris FC were the only unbeaten teams remaining after five rounds. Monaco was hosting Toulouse and Paris FC was visiting Lorient.

Inter Milan faced Parma and Napoli was hosting promoted Frosinone later in Serie A.

Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri said Scott McTominay could make an appearance after undergoing minor heart surgery last month. The Scotland midfielder hasn’t played since Aug. 30.

Genoa defeated visiting Fiorentina 2-1 in the early game.

Fahey reported from Berlin, and Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Bayern's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer saves the ball besides Bayern's Alphonso Davies, top, and Augsburg's Robin Fellhauer during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and FC Bayern Munich in Augsburg, Germany, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Augsburg's Robin Fellhauer scores his side's opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and FC Bayern Munich in Augsburg, Germany, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer kicks the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and FC Bayern Munich in Augsburg, Germany, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)