MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama

The epicentre was about 14 kilometres southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a sparsely populated area near the Pacific coast some 240 kilometres from the capital, at shallow depth

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook Panama on Friday at 12:56 local time, centred on the Azuero peninsula in Herrera province, according to the US Geological Survey. Panamanian authorities have not so far confirmed any casualties, though inspections are continuing and they have not ruled out injuries or people trapped. Damage to buildings was reported in several provinces.

The epicentre was about 14 kilometres southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a sparsely populated area near the Pacific coast some 240 kilometres from the capital, at shallow depth. Panama’s Institute of Geosciences estimated the magnitude at 7.2. Its director, Néstor Luque, attributed the quake to the Azuero-Sona fault system, which had been accumulating stress for some time. More than 30 aftershocks were recorded.

The National Civil Protection System reported damage in Penonomé, in Coclé province, including to the cathedral of San Juan Bautista, the governor’s office and a hotel, as well as in Chitré and Venao. Its director, Omar Smith, warned that aftershocks would continue, though with decreasing intensity.

The Education Ministry cancelled afternoon classes nationwide, public offices were closed, water supply was cut in some areas because of power failures and Tocumen international airport temporarily suspended operations. The Panama Canal Authority said the waterway was operating normally.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert for the coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, which was lifted hours later. Smith had considered a tsunami unlikely because the epicentre was on land. In Chile, the navy declared a precautionary alert for Easter Island and lifted it after the magnitude, initially estimated at 8.0, was revised. The quake was felt in the Colombian cities of Medellín and Cartagena.

President José Raúl Mulino called for calm and asked emergency agencies for a report on the effects. “What has happened must not be used to generate alarm and disorder,” he wrote.

The earthquake comes two months after a magnitude 7.4 quake that killed 335 people in Colombia’s Chocó department on August 10.