Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Panama, collapsing buildings

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Central American country of Panama just before 15:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Friday, damaging buildings. The US Geological Survey (USGS) warned that the effects were likely to be widespread, and estimated that about 4.6 million people felt moderate to severe shaking.

Epicentre and depth

The epicentre was roughly 10km from the town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama. The quake was recorded at a depth of just 12km. The shallower an earthquake is, the more likely it is to have severe effects at the surface.

Several large aftershocks have also been reported near the initial quake, which could complicate the situation.

Damage

Footage shared online appears to show collapsed buildings in the towns of Penonomé and Soná. In one clip, a man calls out to anyone trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building. Verified footage shows one side of a cathedral in Penonomé and one of its spires brought down by the shaking. Another video suggests a local hotel almost completely collapsed.

Ricardo Brown, a 74-year-old from the southern Herrera province, told the news agency Reuters that several homes in his neighbourhood of Las Minas were damaged. He said that he and his wife, both elderly, were frightened because their house had cracked and might fall.

Capital and government response

In Panama City, about 200km from the epicentre, many people were evacuated from buildings and gathered in the streets or nearby parks until the shaking stopped. Damage in the capital appears limited to debris falling from roofs.

Panama's President José Raúl Mulino said his entire government was mobilising in response, and urged that the event not be used to cause alarm or disorder.

No casualties have been reported so far, and the full extent of the damage is not yet clear.