Panama declares national emergency in response to M7.7 and M6.6 back-to-back earthquakes

Panama's government declared a national emergency on Saturday. The previous day, Friday, the country was struck by two strong earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 6.6 within hours of each other, with more than 100 aftershocks recorded by Saturday, the strongest of which reached magnitude 5.8.

According to The Guardian, officials have not yet attributed any deaths to the two earthquakes, but reports indicate that damage has occurred across all 10 provinces and 2 indigenous regions of Panama, with approximately 420 private homes, an equal number of public schools, 7 hotels, at least 13 churches, and 9 bridges damaged; 27 people were injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate. Cabinet Minister Juan Carlos Oryaca announced the emergency at a press conference in the capital, Panama City, noting that housing, schools, medical facilities, roads, and hotels were all on the list of damaged infrastructure.

The US Geological Survey measured the initial strong earthquake's epicenter at approximately 10 kilometers southwest of Pitalosa Arriba, a remote community in Ermita Province, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers; the quake was also strongly felt in neighboring Colombia. Stronger aftershocks recorded by seismologists also included magnitudes 5.5 and 5.2. Most of the damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Ermita, Coclé, and Los Santos. In the colonial-era town of La Villa de los Santos, located approximately 64 kilometers northeast of the epicenter, some private homes and a historic Catholic church collapsed.

Resident Tony Jiménez, whose home partially collapsed, sat under a tent with relatives waiting for the government's next steps, telling The Guardian: "This is the most terrible thing I have experienced. I can say with great certainty that, having lived to 90, I have never experienced anything like this. Very strong — really very strong." Officials did not report any missing persons on Saturday but acknowledged that some communities remained cut off due to landslides and road damage. Carlos Valdés, head of the seismology department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, suggested that the country's avoidance of mass casualties may have been attributable to strict building codes, particularly the regulation of high-rise construction in the capital.

Following the earthquakes, leaders from across Latin America quickly sent condolences and offered aid. According to The Guardian, Panamanian President Mulino expressed gratitude on Friday to his counterparts from Chile, Uruguay, and Guatemala, among other countries, and said he had spoken with the presidents of these nations.

The US State Department announced on Saturday that it had mobilized a disaster response team to assist Panamanian local authorities with search and rescue operations and to conduct aerial and ground assessments, with the US government pledging US$5 million in humanitarian assistance. However, The Guardian disclosed that the operation was carried out by two helicopters dispatched by US Southern Command rather than traditional humanitarian agencies; the supporting unit of these two helicopters was explicitly listed as the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics Affairs, rather than civilian aid channels such as USAID. The unit has delivered approximately 907 kilograms of food to affected residents.

Roads in some remote mountainous areas remain unstable, and final casualty and damage figures may be revised following further assessments.