The quake hit at 12:56 p.m. local time (17:56 GMT) at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, about 11 kilometers west-southwest of Pitaloza Arriba and 54 kilometers southwest of Chitré, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Initial magnitude estimates ranged from 7.6 to 8.2; the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre put it at 7.9.
Waves of 1 to 3 meters possible in Panama
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 1 to 3 meters above tide level were possible along some coasts of Panama and 0.3 to 1 meter along parts of Ecuador, while waves under 0.3 meter were forecast for Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Chile.
Around 4.9 million people felt shaking ranging from light to severe, USGS estimates show. There were no immediate reports of damage, and the Panama Canal Authority said the waterway was operating normally.
Red alert, damage reported
USGS later revised the depth to 12.6 kilometers and issued a red alert in its PAGER system, its highest level for potential losses, estimating maximum shaking intensity of VIII. Local media reported structural damage in some buildings, and footage showed collapsed ceilings and debris in hallways. President José Raúl Mulino urged calm and instructed the government minister to report on the quake’s effects. Several aftershocks were recorded.
Video: Collapsed ceiling panels and debris litter a building’s hallways after the quake.
Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Service said damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos, with no reports of damage in the capital, where people evacuated buildings, including hospitals. Video aired by local outlets showed a Catholic cathedral collapsing and part of a hotel’s facade falling onto a car in Penonomé, in Coclé province. USGS recorded aftershocks of magnitude 5.8 and 5.5.
Video: Travelers rush out of a bus terminal in Panama as the ground shakes.
Damage toll and a second 6.6 quake
Panama’s Interior Minister Dinoska Montalvo said homes, public buildings, churches, hospitals and roads were damaged across the country, but no one died in a collapsed hotel and no one was reported missing. Fifteen students were lightly injured at the Alberto Zúñiga school in Penonomé, where the historic San Juan Bautista Cathedral and the governor’s office were also damaged. Road access to Tonosí in Los Santos province was cut off.
The tsunami warning for Pacific coasts was later lifted. More than 30 aftershocks between magnitude 2.1 and 6 were recorded, and the U.S. Geological Survey reported a separate magnitude 6.6 quake 8 kilometers northwest of Río Grande, according to Anadolu.
Watch: Night footage shows vehicles crushed under collapsed facades, a damaged cathedral bell tower and medical staff caring for patients outside a hospital (Anadolu)
