Powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hits Panama and triggers tsunami warnings

A person looks at buildings damaged by the earthquake in Panama City on Friday. Photograph: Beinvenido Velasco/EPAView image in fullscreenA person looks at buildings damaged by the earthquake in Panama City on Friday.

Photograph: Beinvenido Velasco/EPAPanamaPowerful 7. 6-magnitude earthquake hits Panama and triggers tsunami warningsHazardous waves are possible as far south as Ecuador and as far north as Mexico, as 13 aftershocks reported.

Prefer the Guardian on GoogleA powerful 7. 6 magnitude earthquake has struck Panama and triggered tsunami warnings along the west coast of Central and South America, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake hit along the southern coast of the country, the USGS said. It was centered near the southern tip of the Central American country, about 14km (9 miles) south-west of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, the USGS said.

The Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama said the quake struck at just before 1pm local time near the southern town of Tonosí. The Panamanian institute said that a second 6.

0 magnitude earthquake struck soon after, at 1. 22pm.

Até 1. 3opm, havia, segundo relatos, 13 réplicas.

O presidente, José Raúl Mulino, disse que havia pedido a um ministro-chave que chamasse pela calma. “O que aconteceu não deve ser usado para gerar alarme e desordem,” escreveu Mulino no X.

Local newspaper La Prensa said that across the Central American country, buildings, schools and homes were evacuated as a result of the “powerful movement of the earth”.

Footage published by La Prensa showed severe damage to several buildings in the city of Penonomé, including the St John Baptist Cathedral. Other photos showed a highway to the west of the capital that had been completely sheared in half by the earthquake.

Tremors were felt strongly ​in the ⁠capital of ⁠Panama ​City, ‌according ‌to ‌witnesses who spoke to Reuters. The Associated Press reported that buildings shook and visibly shaken residents gathered outside as they waited for news of the quake’s impact.

O USGS disse que ondas perigosas poderiam ocorrer ao longo das costas da Costa Rica, Equador, Peru, Nicarágua, Guatemala, El Salvador e México, embora o alerta de tsunami para o Chile tenha sido cancelado às 4.

He said there were no reports of damage in the capital, which is known for its hundreds of skyscrapers.

Smith said several injuries had been reported, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in the city of Penonomé, about 93 miles (150km) from the capital.

He confirmed a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral in the district’s main square, as well as damage in the governor’s office building and the Dos Continentes hotel.

No casualties were immediately reported.

Local news outlets also reported that the church of San Atanasio, a colonial-style Catholic church in Panama’s Los Santos province, had collapsed. The church was declared a National Historic Heritage Site in 1938.

Elsewhere, including in Veraguas province, large fissures ran along roadways.

O Aeroporto Internacional Tocumen, em Cidade do Panamá, um dos aeroportos mais movimentados da região, com mais de 20 milhões de viajantes em 2025, anunciou que suspenderá temporariamente as operações e ativou planos de evacuação.

Disse que as operações seriam retomadas assim que as condições de segurança fossem verificadas.

O secretário de Estado dos EUA, Marco Rubio, escreveu nas redes sociais que estava “monitorando de perto os relatos do terremoto no sul do Panamá. Os Estados Unidos estão com o povo do Panamá.”.

Em números

• It was centered near the southern tip of the Central American country, about 14km (9 miles) south-west of the remote community of P
• K by debris from a partially collapsed structure in the city of Penonomé, about 93 miles (150km) from the capital