Major earthquake strikes Panama, tsunami warning issued for region
A quake measuring 7.6 to 7.7 triggered evacuations and warnings along several coasts.
Panama was struck by a major earthquake on Friday. International warning services issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific coast in the region, while authorities assessed the damage and possible casualties.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at around 17:56 UTC in central Panama, near Pitaloza Arriba. The initial estimate was higher; later measurements put it at approximately magnitude 7.6 to 7.7. The epicentre was at a relatively shallow depth, meaning the tremors were felt across a wide area.
In Panama City, people left buildings as a precaution, but according to initial reports the greatest damage was closer to the epicentre. Panama’s civil protection agency reported damage in the provinces of Herrera, Veraguas and Los Santos, among others. At the time of the initial reports, no reliable information on casualties was yet available.
The US tsunami warning system issued a regional threat bulletin after the earthquake. Waves of one to three metres were anticipated for parts of the Panamanian coast; a smaller threat was mentioned for Ecuador. Warnings or advisories were also issued for coastal areas of Colombia, Nicaragua and Guatemala.
The precise consequences had still not been established on Friday evening. Earthquakes can temporarily disrupt communications, roads and electricity supplies in remote areas, making initial reports incomplete. The Panamanian authorities urged residents to follow official information and not rely on unconfirmed reports.
Panama lies in a seismically active region on the edge of the Pacific Plate. This makes major earthquakes possible, but in itself says nothing about the eventual damage caused by this specific event. The height of any tsunami depends, among other things, on the location of the epicentre, the seabed and movement of the sea floor.
The international warning is a precautionary measure, not a prediction that large waves will reach everywhere. Warning services may adjust their reports as monitoring stations and local authorities obtain more data. For Dutch nationals in the area, the advice of the local authorities takes precedence.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts were confirmed by AP, USGS-related reporting and the US tsunami warning system. Uncertainties about damage and casualties were explicitly presented as provisional.
- confirmed Panama was struck by an earthquake measuring around magnitude 7.6 to 7.7 on 9 October 2026. — AP describes a later USGS estimate of 7.7; the official tsunami bulletin gives 7.6. source
- confirmed The earthquake occurred near Pitaloza Arriba and was relatively shallow. — AP names the location and gives a depth of approximately 10 kilometres. source
- confirmed A regional tsunami warning or threat bulletin was issued. — The US tsunami warning system published an official threat bulletin. source
- confirmed Waves of one to three metres were anticipated for Panama. — This is stated in the official bulletin from the US tsunami warning system. source
- confirmed There were no reliable casualty figures at the time of the initial reports. — AP reported that no casualties had been reported at that point; the wording in the article remains provisional. source
Editor's note
The earthquake and regional tsunami warning were confirmed by international monitoring and warning services. Damage and casualty figures were still provisional at the time of publication.Sources
- A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations — The Associated Press
- Tsunami Warning System bulletin for Panama earthquake — U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers
- Un terremoto de magnitud 7,7 sacude Panamá — El País
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „aardbeving panama”
- de Volkskrant — „aardbeving panama”
- RTL Nieuws — „aardbeving panama”