The quakes and their reach
Two powerful earthquakes struck Panama on Friday, 9 October. The first, magnitude 7.7, hit at 12:56 local time (17:56 GMT) at a depth of 10 km, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS placed the epicentre about 10 km south-west of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, while Spanish-language reports cite a point 12 km from the coastal town of Tonosí. The University of Panama's Institute of Geosciences recorded a magnitude of 7.5 at a depth of 4 km, located 39 km north-west of Tonosí. A second quake measured 6.6.
The quakes toppled buildings near the epicentre and prompted evacuations across the country. Officials reported damage in all 10 of Panama's provinces and in two Indigenous territories. Tonosí, a town of 9,000 people according to Le Parisien, was cut off by land, although authorities reached it by air. The Tocumen international airport was temporarily closed and several flights were diverted as a precaution, according to civil aviation authorities. The Panama Canal authorities said the waterway was operating normally while specialist teams inspected its facilities.
- Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes at a depth of 10 km, according to the USGS
- Magnitude 6.6 quake follows the first, toppling buildings near the epicentre
- More than 100 aftershocks recorded, up to magnitude 5.8
- National state of emergency declared, with up to USD 100 million for repairs
Casualties and damage counts
Malitzie Rivera, deputy director of the National Civil Protection System, said 27 people had been reported injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate. Officials did not attribute any deaths to the quakes. An earlier preliminary count given to AFP by René García, head of the Emergency Operations Centre, listed at least two people injured after being trapped in collapsed buildings in Veraguas.
The Civil Protection agency counted about 420 homes and roughly the same number of public schools damaged, along with seven hotels, at least 13 churches and nine bridges. Government reviews cited by Deutsche Welle and France 24 put the number of reviewed homes at 426, housing 2,130 people, and said 419 educational centres were affected. Officials reported no missing people on Saturday, but some communities remained cut off by landslides and road damage. In La Villa de Los Santos, a colonial-era community about 64 km north-east of the epicentre, homes and a historical Catholic church collapsed.
Life on the streets
Residents of La Villa de Los Santos spent the night outdoors while they waited for government guidance on what to do next. Tony Jiménez, whose home partially collapsed, sat with relatives under a tent and described the damage.
We've been here since 1 pm yesterday; we haven't moved. 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.
Le Monde reported that Panamanians began clearing debris on Saturday, 10 October, while fearing further aftershocks.
Emergency declaration and funding
Presidential minister Juan Carlos Orillac announced the state of emergency at a news conference in Panama City following an extraordinary cabinet meeting. The government said it would channel up to USD 100 million to damaged infrastructure. Finance Minister Felipe Chapman said the country had the resources needed to meet the damage and the most pressing needs, and that any loans would be soft. He thanked the Inter-American Development Bank, the CAF development bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and the United States for offering non-reimbursable resources.
The Panamanian economy is not going to stop.
President José Raúl Mulino travelled to Penonomé in the late afternoon, where he described the situation in stark terms.
We are facing a great disaster.
Aftershocks and next steps
More than 100 aftershocks followed the main quakes, including ones of magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2. Residents spent the night in parks and streets. The European Commission said it was available to help Panama overcome the effects of the quakes if the country requested international assistance. Education Minister Ventura Vega is expected to announce which regions will hold classes on Monday, with Deutsche Welle reporting that the announcement would probably come on Sunday. Damage assessments continue in Herrera, Los Santos and Veraguas, the provinces most affected and closest to the epicentre.