Tsunami threat after 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Panama, USGS says
The US Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 7.6, as a tsunami threat notice was issued.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, prompting tsunami warnings across Central and South American nations. The US National Weather Service issued alerts for Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala following the quake. Chile’s naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service also issued a warning. The epicenter was located 10km southwest of the town of Pitaloza Arriba, along the Pacific coast.
Panamanian residents felt the tremors, with buildings shaking and people rushing outside in fear. 60-year-old Rosendo Dominguez from Herrera province said, "We felt it very strongly... Everyone is outside, scared." The historic tower of a building collapsed and several balconies of a residential building in Penonome were damaged.
Schools were closed by the ministry of education. Panama has experienced several destructive earthquakes this year, including a twin quake in northern Venezuela in June that killed at least 6,500 people, and a magnitude 7.4 quake in Colombia in August that caused over 289 deaths.
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