Two powerful earthquakes strike rural Panama, prompting evacuations

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 17:48 · Archive

Two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 6.6 magnitude struck Panama on Friday, toppling buildings and prompting evacuations.

Two powerful earthquakes struck rural Panama on Friday, with magnitudes of 7.7 and 6.6. The initial quake was centred about 10 kilometres southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba in the central province of Herrera, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometres and was felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia.

The earthquakes toppled buildings near the epicenter and prompted evacuations across the Central American country. In La Villa de Los Santos, a colonial-era community about 40 miles northeast of the epicenter, homes and a historical Catholic church collapsed. A vehicle lay crushed beneath a collapsed building in Penonome.

Seismologists at the University of Panama recorded dozens of aftershocks, including ones measuring magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2. Residents spent the night on the streets waiting for government guidance. 'We've been here since 1 p.m. yesterday; we haven't moved,' Tony Jiménez, whose home partially collapsed, said. 'It was a terrible thing. In my 90 years, I had never experienced anything like it.' Panamanian authorities had not attributed any deaths to the earthquakes.

How it is being reported

• Unnerved Panamanians sleep in streets as aftershocks rattle quake-hit townsResidents in rural Panama are dealing with aftershocks following two powerful earthquakes that hit the country on Friday.Clickorlando · 10 Oct, 17:17
• Unnerved Panamanians sleep in streets as aftershocks rattle quake-hit townsResidents in rural Panama are dealing with aftershocks following two powerful earthquakes that hit the country on Friday.News4Jax · 10 Oct, 17:17

In this story: Panama · Herrera · Colombia · Pitaloza Arriba · La Villa de Los Santos · Penonome · University of Panama · U.S. Geological Survey

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