What We Know About Panama's 7.7-Magnitude Earthquake

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Panama's central coast on Friday, triggering tsunami warnings for Panama and eight neighboring countries, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Tsunami Center, NBC News and The Associated Press reported.

The quake hit at 1:56 p.m. ET and was followed within hours by at least six additional tremors, including two moderate quakes and a string of aftershocks across the country's southern tip, the USGS said, according to NBC News and the AP.

Where was the epicenter of the Panama earthquake?

The USGS placed the epicenter about 6 miles southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a remote community near Panama's southern tip, at a depth of 6 miles, NBC News and the AP reported. The shallow depth and offshore location prompted the immediate tsunami alerts. Tremors reached well beyond the epicenter, rattling buildings in Panama City, a capital known for its dense cluster of skyscrapers, according to the report.

How strong were the aftershocks?

Two smaller quakes followed within moments of the initial 7.7-magnitude event: a 5.5-magnitude tremor in Bajo Corral and a 5.8-magnitude quake in El Cacao, NBC News and the AP reported, citing the USGS. At least four more aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 4.8 to 5.0, were recorded across the southern part of the country in the two hours that followed, according to the same USGS data cited in the report.

Which countries received tsunami warnings?

The U.S. Tsunami Center issued warnings covering Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Peru shortly after the quake, NBC News and the AP reported. The warnings spanned both Central and South American coastlines along the Pacific, reflecting the scale of the seismic event and its potential to generate waves far from the epicenter.

What damage has been reported so far?

Omar Smith of Panama's National Civil Protection Service said the heaviest damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos, according to NBC News and the AP. In Coclé province, officials said the governor's palace sustained significant structural damage, though staff evacuated safely, the report said. Local government officials in Coclé urged residents to remain calm in the aftermath, according to the same account.

In Panama City, residents poured into the streets as buildings swayed, and people gathered outside the maternity ward of Santo Tomas hospital following the quake, per images and reporting cited by NBC News and the AP. Panama's National System for Civil Protection said it was continuing to monitor for damage reports nationwide as of Friday afternoon, according to the report.

Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who lives in Herrera province, one of the hardest-hit areas, described the shaking to the AP by phone:

"We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we're OK, though we're very scared. Everyone is outside, scared."

What happens next for residents and officials?

As of Friday evening, Panama's National System for Civil Protection had not released a comprehensive damage or casualty count, according to the NBC News and AP report, and the scope of structural damage outside the central provinces and Coclé remained unclear in the source material. The tsunami warnings issued by the U.S. Tsunami Center covered a wide swath of Pacific coastline, meaning authorities in Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Peru were also assessing potential wave activity following the quake, the report said.

The USGS continued to track aftershock activity along Panama's southern tip in the hours after the main event, consistent with the pattern of a major quake followed by a decaying sequence of smaller tremors. No information in the available reporting indicates when tsunami warnings for the region were lifted or what, if any, wave heights were recorded onshore.

For readers tracking severe-weather and seismic events elsewhere, HTT News has also covered a tornado that struck Sicilian towns following a summer heat wave, among other recent natural-disaster coverage.

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