Earthquake Strikes Panama Causing Damage Concerns

A major earthquake struck Panama on Friday afternoon, October 9, 2026, near Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera Province, causing strong shaking across the country as officials mobilized aid and assessed possible injuries and damage.

The earthquake occurred at 12:56 P.M. local time and was initially measured at magnitude 8.0 before the U.S. Geological Survey downgraded it to 7.7. The USGS said about 4.6 million people experienced moderate to severe shaking.

No official figures for deaths or injuries had been released, according to the USGS report. The agency modeled possible casualties ranging from dozens to hundreds of fatalities and estimated damage could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said on social media that he instructed authorities to send personnel, resources and aid to the affected area.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tsunami Warning System and the U.S. embassy in Panama initially warned of possible tsunami impacts in several countries, but the alert was later lifted on Friday afternoon.

USGS seismologist Susan Hough explained that the earthquake's location and depth reduced the likelihood of a tsunami.

"Because this was on land and shallow, you’re not on the seafloor, so it didn’t move the seafloor underneath the water column and that’s what you need to generate a tsunami," said Susan Hough, USGS seismologist.

The USGS said shallow earthquakes can produce stronger surface shaking. The U.S. embassy advised citizens to avoid damaged structures, stay away from the coast and monitor emergency broadcasts.

Hough also described the earthquake as a strike slip event, a type of lateral fault movement. She compared the faulting style with other major strike slip systems.

"It was a shallow lateral fault, what we call strike slip, so similar to the San Andreas," said Susan Hough, USGS seismologist.

Panama lies near several major tectonic plates, including the Cocos and Nazca plates to the south, the Caribbean plate to the north and the South American plate to the east, according to the USGS.

Hough said the earthquake occurred within a complex fault zone near the meeting point of these plates.

"There's a complicated zone of faulting that's at that juncture, and so this earthquake was on one of those faults. It was quite large compared to other earthquakes that have been seen in that area," said Susan Hough, USGS seismologist.