7.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama on Friday morning, shaking Panama City and prompting evacuations. The quake was centered about 10 kilometers southwest of Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, at a depth of 10 kilometers. A tsunami warning was issued for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Damage was reported in central provinces, but no casualties were immediately reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey located the epicenter about 10 kilometers southwest of Pitaloza Arriba in central Panama’s Herrera province.

Aftershocks continued shortly after the earthquake, while Panama’s Civil Protection investigated possible damage near the epicenter.

Video from Penonomé showed a Catholic cathedral collapsing and part of a hotel facade falling onto a car.

Omar Smith said damage was concentrated in Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos, with no reported damage in Panama City.

Panama lies along the 40,000-kilometer Ring of Fire, an arc of Pacific volcanoes and fault lines.

Published Oct 10, 2026 4:22 am KST

Updated Oct 10, 2026 5:07 am KST

This aerial view shows people being evacuated at the Hospital del Nino after a severe 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the country, in Panama City, Friday. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook Panama sparking panic in the capital, though no casualties or damage have been reported so far. AFP-Yonhap

PANAMA CITY — A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama on Friday morning, shaking buildings in the capital, prompting evacuations and sending tremors as far as neighboring Colombia.

The quake was centered about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, in the central province of Herrera, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Visibly shaken residents of Panama City gathered outside as they waited for news of the quake’s impact on Friday.

“We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared," Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who is from Herrera province, where the earthquake struck, told The Associated Press by phone. “Everyone is outside, scared.”

Aftershocks continued to shake the streets on Friday shortly after the quake. The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning Friday for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino called for calm on Friday, writing on X: “What happened should not be used to cause alarm or disorder.”

Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Service said on the Telemetro Reporta news channel that damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos. He said there were no reports of damage in the capital, which is known for its hundreds of skyscrapers.

Video aired by local news outlets showed a Catholic cathedral collapsing and part of a hotel’s facade falling onto a car in the city of Penonomé, in the central province of Coclé. No casualties were immediately reported.

Panama lies along the “Ring of Fire," a 40,000-kilometer (25,000-mile) arc of volcanoes and fault lines around the Pacific Basin, where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.

Panama's Civil Protection said it was investigating possible damage in regions near the epicenter.

周五上午，巴拿马发生7.7级地震，巴拿马城震感强烈，引发人员疏散。震中位于埃雷拉省皮塔洛萨阿里瓦西南约10公里处，震源深度10公里。巴拿马、哥伦比亚、厄瓜多尔、尼加拉瓜和危地马拉沿海地区发布了海啸预警。中部各省份报告有损失，但暂无人员伤亡报告。

美国地质调查局确定震中位于巴拿马中部埃雷拉省皮塔洛萨阿里巴西南约 10 公里处。

地震发生后不久，余震仍在继续，与此同时，巴拿马民防部门正在调查震中附近可能发生的破坏情况。

来自佩诺诺梅的视频显示，一座天主教大教堂倒塌，一家酒店的部分外墙掉落在一辆汽车上。

奥马尔·史密斯表示，受灾地区主要集中在韦拉瓜斯、埃雷拉和洛斯桑托斯，巴拿马城没有报告任何损失。

巴拿马位于长达 4 万公里的环太平洋火山带上，这是一条由太平洋火山和断层线构成的弧形地带。

发布于2026年10月10日凌晨4:22（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月10日凌晨5:07（韩国标准时间）

这张航拍照片显示，周五巴拿马城发生7.7级强烈地震后，人们正在儿童医院（Hospital del Nino）撤离。据美国地质调查局（USGS）称，7.7级地震袭击巴拿马，引发首都恐慌，但目前尚未收到人员伤亡或财产损失的报告。法新社-韩联社

巴拿马城——周五上午，巴拿马发生里氏 7.7 级强烈地震，首都巴拿马的建筑物摇晃，引发人员疏散，甚至远在邻国哥伦比亚都有震感。

美国地质调查局称，地震震中位于墨西哥中部埃雷拉省偏远社区皮塔洛萨阿里巴西南约10公里（6英里）​​处，震源深度为10公里（6英里）​​。

周五，巴拿马城的居民们明显受到了地震的影响，他们聚集在户外等待地震影响的消息。

“我们感觉到的震感非常强烈。厨房里的东西都被震倒了，但我们没事，只是非常害怕，”60岁的罗森多·多明格斯（Rosendo Domínguez）通过电话告诉美联社。他来自地震发生的埃雷拉省。“大家都躲在外面，很害怕。”

地震发生后不久，周五余震不断，街道依然震动。美国国家气象局周五对巴拿马、哥伦比亚、厄瓜多尔、尼加拉瓜和危地马拉沿海地区发布了海啸预警。

巴拿马总统何塞·劳尔·穆利诺周五呼吁各方保持冷静，他在X网站上写道：“所发生的事情不应该被用来制造恐慌或混乱。”

国家民防局的奥马尔·史密斯在Telemetro Reporta新闻频道表示，受灾最严重的地区集中在贝拉瓜斯省、埃雷拉省和洛斯桑托斯省等中部省份。他说，首都贝拉维亚没有收到任何损失报告，贝拉维亚以其数百座摩天大楼而闻名。

当地新闻媒体播放的视频显示，在哥伦比亚中部科克莱省佩诺诺梅市，一座天主教大教堂坍塌，一家酒店的部分外墙坠落到一辆汽车上。目前暂无人员伤亡报告。

巴拿马位于“环太平洋火山带”上，这是一条环绕太平洋盆地、长 40,000 公里（25,000 英里）的火山和断层带弧形地带，世界上大多数地震都发生在这里。

巴拿马民防部门表示，他们正在调查震中附近地区可能遭受的损失。