Powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hits Panama and triggers tsunami warnings

Hazardous waves are possible as far south as Ecuador and as far north as Mexico, as 13 aftershocks reported

A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake has struck Panama and triggered tsunami warnings along the west coast of Central and South America, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama said the quake struck at just before 1pm local time near the southern town of Tonosí. The Panamanian institute said that a second 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck soon after, at 1.22pm.

The president, José Raúl Mulino, said he had asked a key minister to call for calm. “What happened should not be used to generate alarm and disorder,” Mulino wrote on X.

Footage published by La Prensa showed severe damage to several buildings in the city of Penonomé, including the St John Baptist Cathedral. Other photos showed a highway to the west of the capital that had been completely sheared in half by the earthquake.

The USGS said hazardous waves were possible along the coasts of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, although the tsunami warning for Chile was cancelled at 4.18pm local time.

Smith said several injuries had been reported, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in the city of Penonomé, about 93 miles (150km) from the capital. He confirmed a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral in the district’s main square, as well as damage in the governor’s office building and the Dos Continentes hotel. No casualties were immediately reported.

Tocumen international airport in Panama City, one of the region’s busiest airports with more than 20 million travelers in 2025, said it would temporarily suspend operations and activated evacuation plans. It said operations would resume once security conditions had been checked.