Panama declared a state of emergency on Saturday after two powerful earthquakes damaged buildings and triggered more than 100 aftershocks. Officials reported damage across all 10 provinces and two Indigenous territories, but linked no deaths to Friday’s magnitude-7.7 and magnitude-6.6 quakes.
The National Civil Protection System’s deputy director, Malitzie Rivera, reported 27 injuries, all described as minor or moderate. The agency counted roughly 420 damaged homes and a similar number of public schools, along with seven hotels, at least 13 churches and nine bridges.
The heaviest damage was in Veraguas, Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos. Homes and a historic Catholic church collapsed in La Villa de Los Santos, where some residents spent the night outdoors awaiting government guidance.
Some aftershocks reached magnitude 5.8. The US Geological Survey located the earlier quake about 10km south-west of Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, at a depth of 10km.
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