Magnitude 6 quake strikes Panama after 7.7 tremor

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Panama on Monday at a depth of 35 kilometres, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. It followed a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that jolted the country's southern coast on Friday and produced more than 300 aftershocks. No deaths were reported from either quake, but at least 27 people were injured and nearly 900 homes were damaged, emergency authorities said.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The new quake matters because it struck a country already reeling from the larger tremor, which damaged hundreds of homes and infrastructure across central provinces and led the government to declare a national state of emergency over the weekend. Emergency authorities warned the toll could rise as assessments continue in remote communities, meaning the figures of 27 injured and nearly 900 homes damaged are not final.

What the new quake adds

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), occurred at a shallow depth of approximately 12 kilometres, a factor the USGS said could intensify ground shaking and increase the potential for damage. Shallow quakes push their energy closer to the surface, so less of it is absorbed by rock before it reaches buildings and people above.

The USGS warned that some casualties were possible and extensive damage were probable. Panamanian President José Raul Mulino urged the public to remain calm and instructed the country's minister of government to provide updates on the earthquake's impact. Several aftershocks were reported near the epicentre, including a powerful magnitude-6 tremor, before Monday's separate magnitude 6 event.

Los Santos, Cocle, Veraguas and Herrera were among the most affected provinces, authorities said. The damage spread across the country's central provinces, where hundreds of homes and infrastructure were hit. Emergency authorities said assessments were continuing in remote communities, which could push the count of injured people above 27 and the count of damaged homes above nearly 900.

Where the damage landed

The US Tsunami Warning System warned that tsunami waves reaching up to three metres could strike Panama's coastline in the coming hours after the magnitude 7.7 quake. The potential threat extended beyond Panama, with Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru identified as countries that could experience less intense tsunami waves.wionews.com+1

The tremor was felt across Panama, a Central American nation with a population of around 4.5 million, according to the USGS. In Panama City, approximately 200 kilometres from the epicentre, many people evacuated buildings as a precaution, according to observations by AFP. An aerial view showed people being evacuated at the Hospital del Nino after the quake.

Local media reported structural damage in several parts of the country after the magnitude 7.7 quake. The magnitude 6 earthquake that followed on Monday was recorded at a depth of 35 kilometres, or 22 miles, by the EMSC — deeper than the 12-kilometre depth of the earlier, larger quake, which the USGS said could intensify shaking.

Emergency authorities have not reported any deaths from either earthquake, but they warned the toll could rise as assessments continue in remote communities. The count of at least 27 injured and nearly 900 homes damaged covers the impact recorded so far, with Los Santos, Cocle, Veraguas and Herrera among the provinces bearing the heaviest damage.

The government declared a national state of emergency over the weekend after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake, unlocking resources for the central provinces where hundreds of homes and infrastructure were damaged. President José Raul Mulino had earlier instructed the country's minister of government to provide updates on the earthquake's impact and urged the public to remain calm.

Assessments continue in remote communities, where the toll of 27 injured and nearly 900 homes damaged could rise, emergency authorities said. The magnitude 6 earthquake on Monday added another shock to a country that recorded more than 300 aftershocks after Friday's magnitude 7.7 quake, with the most affected provinces being Los Santos, Cocle, Veraguas and Herrera.