Panama Reports No Deaths From 7.7 and 6.6 Quakes as Structural Inspections Wait on Aftershocks

Since the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, Oct. 9, the story has shifted from the initial shaking to damage counts and a long aftershock sequence. A second major shock has hit, and the full toll is still unknown.

A second major shock and 147 aftershocks

The first quake hit at 12:56 p.m. local time, centered about six miles southwest of Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS first put it at magnitude 8.0, then revised it to 7.6 and finally 7.7.

About two and a half hours later, a 6.6 quake struck roughly eight miles west of Río Grande on the Pacific coast, the USGS said. René García, director of Panama's Emergency Operations Center, told CNN the sequence has produced 147 aftershocks, some reaching 6.1 and 6.6.

The USGS also reported a fresh 6.0 quake about seven kilometers north of La Tronosa after Friday's main shocks.

García said inspectors are waiting for the tremors to subside before entering damaged buildings.

What is damaged

Omar Smith of Panama's National Civil Protection Service said damage is concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos. He reported several injuries, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in Penonomé, about 93 miles from the capital.

In Penonomé, Smith confirmed a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral, plus damage to the governor's office and the Dos Continentes hotel. Mulino visited a hospital there where patients were evacuated.

Local news outlets reported that the Church of San Atanasio in Los Santos province collapsed. The colonial-style church was declared a National Historic Heritage Site in 1938. In the resort town of Playa Venao, footage verified by CNN shows a multi-story building down on top of several cars.

Large fissures cut across roads in Veraguas. Mulino said some roads had "completely collapsed" and called it "a major disaster."

The accounts differ on the capital. Smith said there were no reports of damage in Panama City, while García told CNN some damage has been seen there. Two metro lines in the city were suspended for safety checks.

Deaths: none documented, with a warning

Mulino said Friday evening that authorities had not documented anyone killed, but cautioned that could change "in the coming hours or days." CNN, citing the civil protection system, reported minor injuries and no fatalities or missing persons. Mulino also said: "Nobody was ready, and no one is ever ready for this type of disaster."

The USGS had been more pessimistic. Its modeling put likely casualties in the dozens to hundreds and damage in the hundreds of millions of dollars, with economic losses of 1% to 10% of Panama's GDP. About 4.6 million people felt moderate to severe shaking, and roughly 43,000 lived in areas with at least severe exposure.

Carlos Valdés, head of the Seismology Department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said the lower toll in Panama may reflect strict building codes, especially for skyscrapers in the capital. Inspections of the damaged structures have not yet been done.

The regional record makes the contrast sharp. Back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 quakes in Venezuela's La Guaira state in June killed more than 6,500 people and left 17,000 homeless. A 7.4 quake in Colombia in August killed at least 289.

Infrastructure and services

The Panama Canal Authority said operations continued as normal while staff inspected facilities. USGS seismologist Susan Hough said the quake was a shallow strike-slip event on land, which is why the tsunami threat receded. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat had passed.

The Cobre Panama copper mine also reported normal operations. Tocumen international airport lifted a flight suspension after a temporary closure, and the civil aviation authority said flights diverted to other airports before service resumed.

Electricity provider Naturgy reported outages in six provinces. Panama's water and sewage institute said power losses interrupted several water treatment plants. The Education Ministry canceled classes nationwide for Friday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was "closely monitoring reports" and ready to help if needed. The U.S. Embassy in Panama told American citizens to avoid damaged structures and the coast.

What comes next

Structural inspections in Coclé, Herrera, Veraguas and Los Santos depend on the aftershocks easing, and García has not given a timeline. Mulino has said the death toll could still rise.

Panama had already scheduled a national evacuation drill for Monday, Oct. 12, to test its emergency response. That exercise now follows a real event, with the country's response still being measured.