Panama earthquakes hit southern Panama on Friday when a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at a depth of 12.6km. People in Panama City rushed into the streets as buildings swayed, and Salomon Andion left his 15-storey building after a violent shake.
"I was scared because the shaking was very strong and prolonged. Heavy objects like dressers, the bed, and all the kitchen items were shaking," Andion said. The quake’s epicenter was about 200km from Panama City, but it still lasted about a minute and sent thousands outside.
Panama City and Cocle province
President Jose Raul Mulino said, "We are facing a major disaster," after some roads had completely collapsed. Juana Alveo said in Penonome, "It was horrible, like nothing we ever experienced. My daughter was trapped in school."
Juan Sanchez, waiting for a bus in downtown Panama City, said, "They evacuated all of these buildings. Everyone is outside. Now the problem is, how do we get home?" The bridge over the Panama canal shook violently but remained upright while vehicles traveled across it.
USGS and Panama Canal
More than 40 aftershocks rattled the isthmus nation in the hours after the quake, while Naturgy reported power outages in six provinces. The Panama canal and Cobre Panama reported normal operations, and Tocumen international airport lifted a suspension on flights.
The USGS estimated about 43,000 Panamanians lived in areas with at least severe exposure to the quake and said economic losses could amount to between 1% and 10% of Panama’s gross domestic product. Marco Rubio wrote on social media that he was "closely monitoring reports" and that "the US was ready to help, if needed."
Monday next week
Panama was due to hold a national evacuation drill on Monday next week, a test that now follows a real emergency rather than a planned exercise. The quake’s shallow depth and the sparsely populated epicenter may have limited destruction in some places, but the reports from Panama City and Penonome show how quickly the shaking spread from damaged roads to disrupted routines.
