Overview
- The quake struck on Friday near Pitaloza Arriba with a shallow epicenter and a revised USGS magnitude of 7.7, making it the strongest event in this part of Panama since 1951.
- Honolulu’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a broad Pacific alert for parts of nine countries and then canceled the warning hours later after updated data showed the coastal threat had passed.
- Local media and officials reported structural damage in provinces including Coclé and Herrera, notably harm to the tower of the Cathedral San Juan Bautista in Penonomé, while no confirmed national casualty totals have been released.
- Panama’s geological institute recorded more than a dozen aftershocks, including one above magnitude 6.0, and the government suspended afternoon classes and carried out safety checks at Tocumen airport as President José Raúl Mulino toured affected areas.
- The Panama Canal authority said ship traffic continued normally, but some towns such as Tonosí face access problems and authorities warn that full damage and casualty assessments are still underway and could affect local services and relief delivery.