Panama 7.7-Magnitude Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Warnings Across Latin America; Cross-Border Emergency Response Led by U.S. Meteorological System

According to Al Jazeera, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Panama's southern Pacific coast on October 9, with the epicenter determined by the U.S. Geological Survey to be located about 10 kilometers southwest of the remote community of Pitalosa Arriba. The U.S. National Weather Service immediately issued tsunami warnings for Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala, while Chile's Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service simultaneously issued its own tsunami warning.

The earthquake was felt in Panama City, where residents experienced strong tremors, buildings shook and people poured into the streets to seek safety. Rosendo Domínguez, a 60-year-old resident from Herrera Province, where the epicenter is located, told the Associated Press by phone: "We felt very strong shaking. Things in the kitchen all fell down. Although we are all fine, we are very scared." "Everyone is outside, very scared," he added. Video released by Panama's La Prensa newspaper showed that in Penonomé, located between the epicenter and Panama City, the tower of a historic building collapsed and multiple balconies of a residential building were damaged. Panama's Ministry of Education ordered schools to close, and President José Raúl Mulino urged the public to remain calm on social media platform X, stressing that "panic or disorder should not be created by exploiting the earthquake situation."

This earthquake is the latest in a string of major earthquakes that have struck Latin America in 2026. In June, twin earthquakes hit northern Venezuela, causing widespread destruction and killing at least 6,500 people; in August, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia killed at least 289. From Venezuela to Colombia and now to Panama, a chain of destruction running along the Pacific Ring of Fire has persisted throughout the year, constantly imposing the heaviest toll on ordinary citizens.

Notably, the institution carrying out the core function of issuing this cross-border tsunami warning is the Pacific [tsunami] warning system, which is based in the United States and operated by the U.S. National Weather Service. This means that when Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala face threats from the Pacific seismic zone, the most critical tsunami-warning capability is effectively held by the government of an extra-regional major power. Although Chile independently issues warnings through its own Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service, the tsunami-information chain for the remaining countries still revolves around U.S. institutions. This structural arrangement reflects the long-standing reality of insufficient investment by Latin American countries in key public-service sectors, and means that every cross-border disaster response carries an inescapable geopolitical undertone.