🔴 Powerful 7.6 magnitude quake shakes Panama, triggering tsunami warning

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Panama's southern coast on Friday, causing damage to some buildings but not disrupting the vital Panama Canal. The quake, which occurred at a depth of 12.6 km (7.8 miles), left elderly residents in tears on the streets, with some reporting cracked homes and fear of collapse. Ricardo Brown, a 74-year-old resident in Herrera province, described the shaking as terrifying and expressed concern for his house's stability.

The epicenter was near the rural community of La Pitaloza in Herrera, close to the Pacific coastline. The quake's tremors were felt as far as Costa Rica's capital, San Jose. Panama's civil protection agency reported impacts in Chitre and Los Santos province, while videos showed damage to a historic building tower and several residential balconies in Penonome.

The national capital suspended metro service temporarily for safety measures. The government ordered schools to close, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue tsunami warnings for several Central American and Caribbean nations, including Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico.

Chile's navy also issued a tsunami alert. Panama had scheduled a national evacuation drill for the following Monday to test emergency response capabilities against earthquakes.