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A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck south-central Panama on Friday afternoon, sending severe tremors through communities on the Azuero Peninsula and raising concerns about widespread damage, casualties and landslides, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey.
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The quake struck at 12:56 p.m. local time, 1:56 p.m. Eastern, with its epicenter approximately six miles west-southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, on the Azuero Peninsula. The USGS estimated its depth at about six miles, making it a relatively shallow earthquake capable of producing particularly destructive shaking near the surface.
As of Friday afternoon, there were no confirmed reports of deaths, injuries or significant damage, although authorities had yet to assess conditions in the hardest-hit areas.
Preliminary USGS models estimated that approximately 36,000 people lived in areas exposed to severe shaking, 537,000 in areas exposed to very strong shaking and 731,000 in areas exposed to strong shaking.
The agency’s automated assessment issued a red alert for potential economic losses, indicating that damage could be extensive, and a yellow alert for possible fatalities. Both assessments are preliminary and do not represent confirmed casualties or destruction.
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The earthquake was felt across much of Panama, including the capital, approximately 125 miles from the epicenter. Tremors also reached neighboring Costa Rica, although shaking there was generally weaker.
Near the epicenter, USGS models estimated an intensity of VIII, classified as severe on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, which measures the strength of shaking at specific locations rather than the overall magnitude of an earthquake.
Several communities in central Panama, including Macaracas, Ocú, Las Tablas, Chitré and Santiago, were estimated to have experienced intensity VII, or very strong shaking, capable of damaging buildings, particularly those with poor construction.
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