Panama City, Panama — A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Panama on Friday at 12:56 p.m. local time, at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicentre was located approximately 12 kilometres (7.4 miles) from the town of Tonosí in southwestern Panama and around 239 kilometres (148 miles) from the capital, Panama City.
According to EFE, the earthquake was strongly felt in Panama City, prompting the precautionary evacuation of several buildings in the city’s old banking district.
The initial earthquake was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks measuring 6.1, 6.0 and 5.3 in magnitude, raising concerns about further seismic activity in the region.
Tsunami Warnings Issued Across the Pacific
Following the earthquake, the US Tsunami Warning System issued warnings for the Pacific coasts of Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Panama was also placed under a tsunami advisory.
However, Colombian authorities ruled out a tsunami threat along the country’s Pacific coastline, despite the earthquake being felt in several Colombian cities, including Medellín and Cartagena de Indias.
In Chile, the Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) issued a tsunami warning and declared a state of alert for Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui.
Latin America Faces a Series of Major Earthquakes
The latest earthquake comes amid reports of several major seismic events across Latin America in recent months.
On June 24, two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela in quick succession. According to a Venezuelan government report released on August 24, the disasters left at least 6,509 people dead. The report also recorded moderate damage to 14,239 homes and severe damage to another 11,001.
Colombia was struck by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake on August 10, affecting 500 municipalities across 16 of the country’s 32 departments. Colombian authorities reported 335 deaths, 4,516 injuries and 486,917 people affected.
The earthquake in Panama has renewed concerns about seismic risks and potential tsunami threats along the Pacific coast of Latin America.
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