7.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Panama, sparking tsunami threat in region

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near the southern coast of Panama. The quake was felt in Panama City, the capital, as well as in the capital of neighboring Costa Rica, according to Reuters witnesses as reported by The Korea Times and Jerusalem Post.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake was centered near the southern tip of Panama, with a depth of 10 km, and was initially estimated to be 8.0 magnitude before being downgraded. The Gulf News reported it was 14 kilometers southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued potential tsunami threats for several countries in Central and South America, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Ecuador, as stated by ABC News. There were reports of people evacuating buildings, with television footage showing residents gathering outside, visibly shaken.

Brief written by urgent.news from ABC News (US), Jerusalem Post, The Korea Times, Gulf News, Arutz Sheva - Israel National News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.