Panama experiences more than 200 aftershocks after Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake

By Elida Moreno

PANAMA CITY, Panama, Oct. 11 – Panama recorded more than 200 aftershocks after Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake damaged hundreds of homes and infrastructure in the country’s central provinces, prompting the government to declare a national state of emergency over the weekend.

No deaths were reported, but at least 27 people were injured and nearly 900 homes were damaged, according to emergency authorities, although that figure could “rise as assessments continue” in isolated communities.

The emergency declaration will allow the government to allocate up to $100 million in relief funds without exceeding its budget deficit target of 3.5% of GDP for 2026, the Economy Ministry said.

“We have already recorded more than 200 aftershocks, and they are continuing, but their magnitude is decreasing and the intervals between them are getting longer,” Nestor Luke, director of the Institute of Geosciences at the University of Panama, told Reuters.

The United States has pledged $5 million in aid and is sending a 20-member team to help with rescue operations and infrastructure assessments, U.S. Ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera said.

President José Raul Mulino visited affected areas to deliver aid and called for urgent repairs to roads and bridges to aid relief efforts. At least 14 bridges were damaged in the provinces of Veraguas and Los Santos.

Classes were suspended nationwide on Monday, while the Panama Canal said shipping operations were not affected by the earthquake.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno in Panama; writing by Sarah Kinosian in Mexico; editing by Mark Porter)