7.7-Magnitude Earthquake Cuts Off Panama’s Tonosi
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck several parts of Panama on Friday evening, and as infrastructure was damaged, land communications to the coastal town of Tonosi, near the quake’s epicentre, were completely cut off.
According to reports, Tonosi, with a population of about 2,200, suffered the worst damage, and early images show parts of the town were cut off from access, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach the area.
In Penonomé, another affected area about 150 kilometres from the capital, a three-storey hotel, a church and the provincial government building in Coclé collapsed. Local officials described the damage in the town as “unprecedented.”
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake occurred at 12:56 local time, with its epicentre 12 kilometres from Tonosi and at a depth of 10 kilometres, a depth that is usually associated with severe damage.
Panama’s civil protection sources said two people were injured, and that a person trapped under the church rubble was pulled out alive after several hours of rescue operations. At the same time, official reports indicated there were no fatalities.
In the wake of the disaster, Panama President José Raúl Mulino, accompanied by the interior minister, went to Penonomé and said the government had begun immediate coordination to deliver water, tents and emergency equipment to the affected areas. He also said he would travel to Tonosi on Saturday.
Panama’s National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (IDAAN) reported power outages and a halt in water production in several areas, but added that much of the water treatment infrastructure had been reactivated by the end of the night. In Panama City, the shaking was strongly felt in high-rise buildings, prompting some residents to go into the streets; officials said four buildings in the capital sustained minor damage.
Authorities at the Panama Canal said that despite the activation of emergency protocols, ship traffic continued without interruption. Tocumen International Airport also returned to normal operations after a brief suspension and inspections, and it was said that no damage had been recorded that would prevent the airport from functioning.
An initial tsunami warning for Panama’s coasts and several other regional countries was lifted in the afternoon on Friday. Panama’s Institute of Geosciences said 107 aftershocks had been recorded by the end of the night, and according to the institute’s head, Nestor Luque, the tremors occurred within the active Azuero-Sona fault zone.
