Traumatised Panamanians begin quake recovery

Residents of southern Panama began the cleanup effort on Monday, grappling with the trauma of a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the region the previous day. The quake, centered 60km away near the border of Herrera, Los Santos, and Veraguas provinces, caused widespread damage but has not yet resulted in any reported fatalities.

Aldulfo Quintero, a 41-year-old resident of Chitre, a city about 250km southwest of Panama City, expressed his astonishment at the event, remarking, "This is something we've never seen before. We weren't prepared for this kind of occurrence." He confessed to a "great fear" that another earthquake could occur at any moment.

Following the initial quake, over 100 aftershocks of up to magnitude 6.0 have been recorded. In response, many residents, including 28-year-old Yakshuri Castillo, opted to sleep outdoors out of fear of further seismic activity. Castillo admitted to "going into shock" when the first quake hit.

The epicenter of the initial quake was located approximately 60km from the border of Herrera, Los Santos, and Veraguas provinces. The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the event, which surprised many given that earthquakes are relatively uncommon in Panama and typically occur in western Chiriqui province, close to Costa Rica.

Although no deaths have been reported so far, about 30 people have been treated for minor injuries. President Jose Raul Mulino, upon arriving in one of the affected areas, described the disaster as "massive." The United States, which includes Panama among the members of President Donald Trump's new "Shield of the Americas" initiative, has pledged swift assistance. The U.S. State Department's Marco Rubio stated on social media that his office was "rapidly mobilizing resources and personnel to assist."

The U.S. military's top commander in the region, Francis Donovan, directed immediate support to aid the people of Panama, including on-the-ground help from rotary-wing aircraft and the airlift of key personnel and supplies into the country. The Panamanian earthquake is at least the fourth significant quake in Latin America this year, surpassing 7.0 in magnitude, following devastating earthquakes in Venezuela's Guaira in June and a powerful tremor in western Colombia in August.