Panama earthquake: Powerful magnitude 7.6 tremor triggers Pacific tsunami warnings

A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Panama on Friday afternoon, triggering widespread tsunami warnings across Central and South America and forcing evacuations in the capital.

The earthquake hit at 12:56 pm local time, centred near the southern tip of the country. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre was located about 14 kilometres (9 miles) south-west of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near the town of Tonosí on the Azuero Peninsula. While early estimates from some seismic monitors put the strength as high as magnitude 8.0, the USGS confirmed the main tremor at 7.6.

Just 26 minutes later, at 1:22 pm, a strong magnitude 6.0 aftershock shook the same region, according to the Institute of Geosciences at the University of Panama.

What happened in Panama City

In Panama City, hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre, the force of the main quake was felt strongly. Terrified residents and office workers evacuated high-rise buildings, schools, and homes, gathering on streets and in plazas as the structures visibly swayed. Witnesses described scenes of confusion as mobile networks became temporarily congested with people trying to contact relatives.

La Prensa, a local newspaper, reported that evacuations took place across the country as civil protection teams began assessing the scale of the movement. There were no immediate reports of casualties or severe infrastructure damage, though communication with remote areas near the epicentre remained difficult in the hours immediately following the event.

Tsunami warnings and regional impact

The US Tsunami Warning System issued an alert warning that hazardous waves were possible within three hours of the quake. The threat extended along the Pacific coastlines of Panama and Colombia, as well as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico.

The tremors were felt well beyond Panama's borders, with residents in parts of neighbouring Colombia and Costa Rica reporting that they felt the ground shake. Colombian disaster management officials said they were monitoring the situation, though some regional agencies downplayed the immediate threat of a major wave hitting the Colombian mainland.

The Azuero Peninsula, where the quake was centred, is a relatively rural region known for its agriculture and coastal communities. Local authorities are focusing their initial search and assessment efforts on towns like Tonosí, which lay closest to the fault line.

The Panama Canal Authority did not immediately say whether operations at the vital shipping waterway, which sits roughly 250 kilometres north-east of the epicentre, had been disrupted.