Multiple Quakes Hitting Panama
In the past 24 hours, Panama has had 170 quakes of magnitudes up to 7.7:
- 1 quake above magnitude 7
- 2 quakes between magnitude 6 and 7
- 19 quakes between magnitude 5 and 6
- 103 quakes between magnitude 4 and 5
- 34 quakes between magnitude 3 and 4
- 8 quakes between magnitude 2 and 3
- 3 quakes below magnitude 2 that people normally don't feel.
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A major M7.6 earthquake struck central Panama at 17:56 UTC (12:56 local time) on October 9, 2026, causing structural damage, injuries, widespread evacuations and disruptions to electricity, transportation and public services. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) ended the associated tsunami threat at 19:40 UTC, while authorities continued assessing damage and monitoring aftershocks.
Panama’s National Civil Protection Service (SINAPROC) reported structural damage concentrated in the central provinces of Herrera, Veraguas and Los Santos. Significant damage was also documented in Penonomé, Coclé Province, where the bell tower of San Juan Bautista Cathedral collapsed.
Additional damage was reported at the provincial governor’s office and Hotel Dos Continentes in Penonomé. Reuters independently verified footage showing damage to a church and nearby buildings, while local authorities continued assessing residential and public structures.
In Herrera Province, residents of Las Minas reported damaged homes and cracks in residential buildings. Damage was also reported in Chitré and coastal communities of Los Santos Province.
Local news outlet Panamá América reported that part of the tower of the Basílica Menor in Atalaya, Veraguas Province, collapsed. Cracks were also reported in the bell tower of San Atanasio Church in Los Santos.
Additional reports indicated damage to the Santiago–Arenas road near Mariato, where a fractured section of roadway disrupted traffic. Damage was also reported at the Soná fire station, the Horacio Díaz Gómez polyclinic and the Santiago transport terminal. The extent of these reported impacts remains subject to official structural assessments.
Several injuries were reported following the earthquake, according to SINAPROC director Omar Smith. One person was injured by falling debris from a partially collapsed structure in Penonomé.
The earthquake caused widespread disruption to electricity and transportation services. Electricity provider Naturgy reported outages across six provinces, while Tocumen International Airport temporarily suspended flight operations.
Panama City Metro services were also interrupted, and authorities suspended classes nationwide. Numerous commercial buildings, government offices and residential towers were evacuated as a precaution, including in Panama City, where shaking was strongly felt.
The Panama Canal Authority confirmed that vessel transit operations continued normally despite the earthquake. Specialized technical teams were inspecting canal infrastructure to identify possible damage and ensure the continued safety of operations.
Multiple significant aftershocks followed the mainshock, including an M5.5 earthquake at 18:22 UTC, located 3 km (1.9 miles) southwest of Bajo Corral, and an M5.8 earthquake at 18:37 UTC, located approximately 1 km (0.6 miles) south of El Cacao. Both were recorded at depths of 10 km (6.2 miles).
Néstor Luque, director of Panama’s Institute of Geosciences, attributed the earthquake to the Azuero–Soná Fault System, a network of active crustal faults associated with tectonic deformation in the Azuero Peninsula. According to Luque, accumulated stress along the fault system was released during the earthquake.
The earthquake was felt across Panama and in neighboring Costa Rica and Colombia. In Panama City, witnesses reported prolonged shaking that prompted thousands of residents and office workers to leave buildings and gather in open areas.
08:15 UTC, October 10
The National Emergency Operations Center (COEN) reported damage across nine provinces, including 142 houses, four residential buildings, 188 educational facilities, 20 healthcare facilities, 26 government buildings, 13 churches, seven hotels and nine bridges. Multiple road sections and water-treatment facilities were also affected.
In Coclé Province, authorities reported 50 damaged homes, two hotels with significant damage, two hospitals, two schools, two churches and four government buildings. At least 17 people sustained minor injuries, while eight families were relocated to a temporary shelter.
The provincial capital, Penonomé, was among the most severely affected locations. One of the two towers of San Juan Bautista Cathedral collapsed, while an entire side of the Coclé provincial government building collapsed, exposing its interior offices. The remaining section sustained structural cracks.
In Los Santos Province, authorities documented damage to 14 homes, five hotels, four hospitals, 22 schools, two churches and 18 government buildings. Six people sustained minor injuries.
Five communities in Los Santos remained isolated due to damaged bridges, roads and landslides. Approximately 300 residents of Isla Cañas were evacuated to higher ground in the community of Cañas following reports of rising sea levels.
In Veraguas Province, preliminary assessments identified 18 damaged homes, eight healthcare facilities, 35 schools, three churches and three government buildings. Three bridges and three road sections were also damaged.
The communities of Arena, Cacao and Quebro remained inaccessible due to road collapses.
In Herrera Province, 30 homes sustained partial damage and two were destroyed. Authorities also reported damage to two hospitals, 48 schools and three churches, along with a landslide affecting the Chitré–Las Minas road. One community remained isolated.
Panamanian authorities reported that nearly all the country’s drinking-water treatment plants experienced some structural effects from the earthquake. The Federico Guardia Conte treatment plant, which supplies Panama City, was operating at approximately 20% of its normal capacity in the initial government assessment.
The aftershock sequence continued overnight, with the USGS recording an M6.0 earthquake at 04:14 UTC on October 10, approximately 7 km (4.3 miles) north of La Tronosa, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The sequence included an earlier M6.6 earthquake at 20:25 UTC on October 9, approximately 14 km (8.7 miles) west of Río Grande, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
Panama’s Institute of Geosciences reported more than 100 aftershocks following the mainshock, with seismic activity continuing across the Azuero region.
