Tsunami Warnings Issued After 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake in Panama

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama, prompting tsunami warnings across Central and South America. The US National Weather Service issued warnings for Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala on Friday following the quake. Chile’s naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service also issued a tsunami warning. The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was centered approximately 10 km (6 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba along the Pacific Ocean coast. Residents of Panama City reported feeling tremors, with buildings shaking and people evacuating into the streets. Rosendo Dominguez, a 60-year-old resident from Herrera province, stated, "We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared." Dominguez added, "Everyone is outside, scared." Videos shared by newspaper La Prensa showed the collapse of a historic building's tower and several balconies of a residential building in Penonome, a city located between the epicenter and Panama City. Panama’s Ministry of Education ordered schools to close, while President Jose Raul Mulino urged calm, stating, "What happened should not be used to cause alarm or disorder." There have been several destructive earthquakes in the region this year, including twin quakes in June that hit northern Venezuela, resulting in at least 6,500 fatalities, and an August earthquake in Colombia that killed at least 289 people.