7.7-magnitude quake rocks Panama, triggers tsunami warning
PENONOME: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked Panama on Friday, causing panic in the high-rise capital and bringing down buildings in the centre of the country, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama on Friday, causing panic and structural damage in the high-rise capital of Panama City, but with no immediate reports of casualties. The tremor, with its epicenter 10km from the town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama, lasted about a minute and was felt across the Central American nation of 4.5 million people.
People rushed to evacuate skyscrapers in scenes of panic, with videos showing water spilling from a building's pool and a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking but remaining upright. Juana Alveo, a cashier in Penonome, told AFP that the quake felt "horrible, like nothing we ever experienced," as her daughter was trapped in school.
The US Geological Survey reported the quake at 1756 GMT, with the Education Ministry announcing the suspension of classes nationwide. The quake triggered tsunami warnings for Panama and other Latin American and South Pacific countries, but the Panama Canal Authority confirmed shipping through the canal was unaffected and operating normally.
Big aftershocks, some above magnitude 6.0, were recorded, causing damage to buildings in central regions of Herrera, Azuero, Veraguas, and Los Santos.
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