A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck south-central Panama on Friday, Oct. 9. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated possible economic losses at 3% to 30% of Panama’s gross domestic product, a computer-model estimate rather than a damage count. At Panama’s government’s request, the United States said it was mobilizing resources and personnel. It didn’t say how many people would go, what they would do or when they would arrive.
Public Services Hit
Panama’s Health Ministry reported 17 affected health facilities: six hospitals, eight health centres and three primary-care centres. It said it had received no reports of deaths or people seriously hurt. Officials found structural damage on the fifth floor of the trauma area at Hospital Santo Tomás, a large public hospital in Panama City. They fully evacuated the Oriente Chiricano hospital in San Félix, Chiriquí province.
Education Minister Ventura Vega said 188 schools nationwide were affected and classes would remain suspended until further notice. He planned to visit Coclé, Herrera and Veraguas on Saturday to assess whether pupils could return on Monday, Oct. 12. Officials hadn’t determined whether schools would reopen that day.
In Penonomé, the capital of Coclé province, part of a church tower fell. A hotel was badly damaged. President José Raúl Mulino visited the town and urged people to stay calm. He promised more water, food and diapers for affected areas from Saturday, Oct. 10, and said the National Police were leading coordination and security on the ground.
Panama hadn’t published a final count of injured people or damaged homes, and officials hadn’t put a price on the damage. No deaths had been reported by Friday evening. Figures could change as teams reached rural areas.
Aid and Financing
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was acting at the request of Panama’s government. “The United States stands with the people of Panama,” Rubio wrote on X. The department said it was “rapidly mobilizing resources and personnel to assist.” Its announcement didn’t provide details about the deployment.
CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, donated US$250,000 for humanitarian needs and offered a natural-disaster credit line of up to US$50 million. The credit line would be channelled in coordination with Panama’s Economy Ministry. CAF executive president Sergio Díaz-Granados said, “Today we stand with the people of Panama, who have been affected by the earthquake.” The article gave no terms for the credit line.
Economy Minister Felipe Chapman’s ministry contacted the Inter-American Development Bank, CAF, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It also reached out to the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. Chapman gave no amounts or terms. Mulino thanked several Latin American presidents who called on Friday to offer help. Panama uses the U.S. dollar, so the announced sums required no currency conversion.
Transport and Damage Assessment
The earthquake struck at 12:56 p.m. local time. The USGS placed its epicentre 12 kilometres west-south-west of Pitaloza Arriba and its depth at about 12.6 kilometres. The University of Panama’s Institute of Geosciences first measured it at magnitude 7.2, then revised the figure to 7.5. Panama’s institute counted 107 aftershocks by shortly after 6 p.m. Strong aftershocks included a magnitude 6.6 quake at 3:25 p.m. and a magnitude 6.0 quake at 11:14 p.m. local time.
Tocumen airport reopened Friday afternoon, and Copa Airlines resumed flights. The airline allowed passengers booked for Oct. 9 or 10 to rebook free for travel through Oct. 31, while warning that delays and schedule changes were possible. The Panama Canal Authority said canal operations continued normally. It later reported minor damage to four office buildings on the Pacific side, with no effect on ship transits.
Panama’s civil protection agency, Sinaproc, advised people to avoid rumours and stay away from visibly damaged buildings as aftershocks continued. Pacific tsunami alerts had been in effect during the first hours after the quake.