7.6–7.7 magnitude earthquake off Panama prompts regional tsunami warnings

The quake was felt in the capital of Panama City as well as in the capital of neighboring Costa Rica, according to Reuters witnesses.

Tsunami warnings are issued for neighbouring countries as videos of destruction circulate online.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near the southern coast of Panama on Friday at a 12.6-km (7.8 miles) depth, according to the US Geological Survey, damaging some buildings but without affecting the critical Panama Canal trade waterway. In Panama, where earthquakes of this magnitude are rare, television images showed elderly residents reduced to tears in the streets as a series of weaker aftershocks rattled the country. “We’re scared. It’s just the two of us old folks here. The house has cracked, and we’re afraid it could fall on us,” said Ricardo Brown, 74, speaking by phone from the Las Minas area in Herrera province in southern Panama, where he noted the quake damaged a number of homes. The quake’s epicentre was close to the rural community of La Pitaloza in a sparsely populated area of Herrera, near the Pacific coastline. Shaking was also felt as far as San Jose, the capital of neighbouring Costa Rica, according to a Reuters witness. Omar Smith, who heads Panama’s civil protection agency, told local outlet Telemetro Reporta that impacts had been reported in Chitre, the capital of Herrera, and along the coast in Los Santos province. Videos shared by newspaper La Prensa showed the tower of a historic building had collapsed along with several balconies of a residential building in Penonome, a city about halfway between the epicentre and Panama City. In the capital, the service on two lines of the Panama City Metro was temporarily suspended for safety reasons, the operator said. Nationwide, Panama’s ministry of education ordered the closure of schools. The impact prompted the US Tsunami Warning System to warn that hazardous tsunami waves were possible along parts of the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico within the next three hours. The system also said there was a tsunami threat to Hawaii, while Chile’s navy also issued a tsunami alert. Panama was due to hold a national evacuation drill on Monday of next week to test the country’s emergency response capabilities against earthquakes.

A 7.7 earthquake hit southern Panama on 9 October 2026, and tsunami alerts reached nine countries while the Panama Canal reported normal operations. The post Panama Hit by 7.7 Quake, Tsunami Alert Issued appeared first on The Rio Times.

Quake was centred about 10 km southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near Panama’s southern tip

A massive 7.7 earthquake has rocked Panama, prompting an urgent tsunami threat message. Visibly shaken residents gathered outside in the streets of Panama City, where the shaking was felt.

PANAMA CITY — A strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the southern coast of Panama on Friday at a 10 km depth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which downgraded an earlier estimate of 8.0 magnitude. There were no immediate reports of damage in Panama, while television footage showed people evacuating buildings. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System showed potential tsunami threats across much of Central America's Pacific coast as well as in Colombia and Ecuador. The quake was felt in the capital of Panama City as well as in the capital of neighboring Costa Rica, according to Reuters witnesses.

A massive 7.7 earthquake has rocked Panama, prompting an urgent tsunami threat message. Visibly shaken residents gathered outside in the streets of Panama City, where the shaking was felt.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Panama has sparked tsunami warnings across Central America including in Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Peru and El Salvador

Tremors were felt in the capital city when a powerful earthquake shook Panama, triggering a tsunami threat warning in Central and South America.

An earthquake measuring a 7.7 magnitude shook the southwest coast of Panama on Friday, prompting tsunami warnings for several neighboring companies.

The US Tsunami Warning System shows potential tsunami threats across much of Central America's Pacific coast as well as in Colombia and Ecuador after the earthquake.

The quake was centered about 10 kilometers southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near Panama’s southern tip, the USGS said

A tsunami alert has been issued for nine countries following the magnitude 8 earthquake.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System has issued potential tsunami threats for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia and Ecuador.

The quake was registered at a shallow depth of 12 kilometres, meaning its impact was likely to be more severe.

A tsunami warning has been issued for nine countries following the magnitude 8 quake

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake centered in Panama shook Costa Rica at midday Friday. What we know about damage, tsunami alerts and aftershocks.

A strong 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the southern coast of Panama on Friday at a 10 km depth, according to the US Geological Survey, yet no damage was initially reported and the Panama Canal Authority said the waterway was operating normally. Panama television footage showed people evacuating buildings. The quake’s epicenter was close to […]

A tsunami alert has been issued for nine countries following the magnitude 8 quake

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck Panama, shaking buildings as far away as the capital and prompting evacuations.

A large 8.0 magnitude earthquake is being assessed by New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency.

A strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the southern coast of Panama at a 10km depth, according to the US Geological Survey.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 7.6, as a tsunami threat notice was issued.

A powerful earthquake struck Panama's southern coast Friday, prompting officials to investigate a possible tsunami threat after the USGS lowered its magnitude estimate from 8.0 to 7.7.

A powerful earthquake struck Panama's southern coast Friday, prompting officials to investigate a possible tsunami threat after the USGS lowered its magnitude estimate from 8.0 to 7.6.

A massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Panama on Friday.

A powerful ‌magnitude 7.6 earthquake has struck off ‌Panama, US seismologists say.

A powerful ‌magnitude 7.6 earthquake has struck off ‌Panama, US seismologists say.

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP) — A magnitude 7.7 earthquake jolted Panama on Friday, setting off panic in the capital city and warnings of dangerous tsunami waves. USGS said the quake was detected at 1756 GMT with an epicentre 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in the south-central part of Panama. It was initially measured at magnitude 8. The quake was registered at a shallow depth of 12 kilometres, meaning its impact was likely to be more severe. Many people were evacuated from buildings in Panama City, about 200 kilometres away, AFP witnessed. Tsunami waves could hit coastlines in the eastern Pacific stretching from Mexico to Peru, the US Tsunami Warning System said. "Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours" in that area, the monitor said, warning that people could be swept out to sea or crushed by debris in the water.

Hazardous waves are possible in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and MexicoA powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake has struck Panama and triggered tsunami warnings along the west coast of Central and South America, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).The quake hit along the southern coast of the country, the USGS said. It was centered near the southern tip of the Central American country, about 14km (9 miles) south-west of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, the USGS said. Continue reading...

 A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Panama on Friday morning, shaking buildings as far away as the capital and prompting evacuations, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was centered about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near Panama’s southern tip, the USGS said. It struck at a […]

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Massive 8.0-Magnitude Quake Strikes Panama A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Panama at around 1:56 p.m. EST, according to the US Geological Survey.  Notable quake, preliminary info: M 8.0 - 14 km SW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama https://t.co/qnQAspzMXy — USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) October 9, 2026 What's known so far: Alerts: Tsunami Info Stmt: M8.0 General Area of Panama 1056 PDT Oct 9: Potential to generate destructive tsunamis; CA,OR,WA,BC,and AK — NWS Tsunami Alerts (@NWS_NTWC) October 9, 2026 The preliminary epicenter was located about 8.7 miles southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, at a depth of 20.5 miles. The epicenter is about 122 miles southwest of Panama City. The immediate damage report is unknown.  Commerical travel is being diverted: Planes are being diverted from Panama after the M7.6 earthquake that struck Southern Panama https://t.co/aufk5L6mTD — Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) October 9, 2026 First footage surfacing on X:  Señor temblor que se acaba de sentir en Ciudad de Panamá. Cc @tvnnoticias https://t.co/Pfe5FP6ZoV — Freddy Pitti (@freddypitti) October 9, 2026 Llegan más imágenes del Terremoto en Panamá de 7.6 (actualizado en los ultimos minutos) https://t.co/KfxHsI19vb — Ernesto (@ernestojmro) October 9, 2026 #Atención Un terremoto de magnitud 8.0 se acaba de registrar en Panamá. https://t.co/iYVFfy4lZD — BluRadio Colombia (@BluRadioCo) October 9, 2026 Today's massive quake follows Venezuela's June twin quakes, Colombia's August earthquake, and Peru's August quake. *Developing...  Tyler Durden Fri, 10/09/2026 - 14:21

Magnitude earthquake strikes Panama tsunami threat issued along Pacific coast