Panama Earthquakes Damage Buildings and Trigger Evacuations

Two powerful earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 6.6 struck Panama on Friday, October 9, 2026, causing building damage, evacuations and injuries across the central region as authorities assessed the effects of the tremors and aftershocks.

The United States Geological Survey reported the first earthquake had an epicenter about 10 kilometers southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, in central Panama, at a depth of 10 kilometers. The USGS initially measured the quake at magnitude 8.0 before adjusting the figure.

The first earthquake produced multiple aftershocks, including two above magnitude 5.5, and the USGS later reported a second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6. Authorities said no fatalities had been reported, although several people were injured.

Residents in Panama City gathered outside after feeling the first earthquake. Rosendo Dominguez, a resident of Herrera province, told The Associated Press that the shaking was intense in his area.

"It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we are fine, although very scared," Dominguez said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Dominguez also described the reaction of people in his community after the earthquake. The quake was felt about 250 kilometers west of the capital, according to his account.

"Everyone is outside scared," Dominguez said in comments to The Associated Press.

Authorities reported damage mainly in Cocle, Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos provinces. Omar Smith of Panama's National Civil Protection System told Telemetro Reporta that several people were injured, including one person struck by a partial infrastructure collapse in Penonome.

Buildings in Penonome, including a Catholic cathedral, a hotel facade and the Governor's building, showed severe damage, according to local television images and later official confirmations. Miguel Batista, mayor of Pedasi, said a building collapsed at Playa Venado but no one was inside at the time.

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said he asked officials to provide information about the earthquake's impact and urged against spreading unnecessary alarm.

"What happened should not be used to generate alarm and disorder," Mulino said on X.

Operations at Panama's main airport were suspended until further notice as passengers were evacuated as a precaution, according to the airport authority. The Panama Canal said operations continued normally while officials reviewed possible effects on its facilities.

The National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers reported water service interruptions in several locations, including the Chilibre treatment plant, which was operating at 20% capacity. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System said waves between 1 and 3 meters were possible in some coastal areas of Panama.

Panama lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, where many of the world's earthquakes occur. The country's last major earthquake impact was on April 22, 1991, when a magnitude 7.4 quake in Bocas del Toro killed 23 people and injured 559, according to historical records cited in the report.