A second earthquake, magnitude 6.6, struck Panama on Friday afternoon, just hours after a 7.7-magnitude quake triggered collapses and panic in the capital city. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the new tremor occurred at 17:25, Brasília time, at a depth of 10 kilometers.
The epicenter was located 14 kilometers west of Río Grande, in Panama. The agency also recorded other tremors in the region throughout the afternoon, including quakes of magnitudes 5.2 and 4.9. Omar Smith, director of the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc), confirmed that, up to now, there are no reports of fatalities, only material damage.
Earlier, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country at 14:56 Brasília time, causing the collapse of some buildings and panic in Panama City. Hundreds of people left buildings during the tremor.
Initially, the USGS reported that the first quake had magnitude 8, but revised the figure to 7.6 and, subsequently, to 7.7. The epicenter was located 10 kilometers from Pitaloza Arriba, in the central-southern part of the country.
“I gave instructions to mobilize personnel, resources and assistance to those affected, as well as for all ministries and institutions of the territory to act immediately in resolving and preventing the problem. The entire government is mobilized to provide the proper responses,” wrote the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, on X.
According to images released by local media, part of a hotel collapsed in the city of Penonomé, about 150 kilometers southwest of Panama City.
