Classes were canceled nationwide, the main international airport shut temporarily, and buildings emptied across Panama on Friday after a powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 jolted the south of the country, according to the US Geological Survey.
Striking at 12:56 local time at a depth of 10 kilometers, the quake was centered about 12 kilometers from the town of Tonosi and roughly 239 kilometers from the capital. Aftershocks of magnitude 6.1, 6.0 and 5.3 followed. The USGS warned that casualties were possible and extensive damage probable.
In Penonome, about 70 miles from the epicenter, footage verified by CNN captured a church with a partially collapsed steeple and another structure with a crumbled facade.
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Panama City felt the shaking strongly, and in the old banking district several buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Two metro lines suspended service and some stations were cleared of passengers, while the Education Ministry halted classes for the remainder of the day. Authorities temporarily closed the main international airport.
Urging residents to stay calm, President Jose Raul Mulino directed the minister of government to report on the quake’s effects.
Along some Panamanian coasts, waves of one to three meters were possible, the US Tsunami Warning System said. Lesser waves could reach Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, and the Chilean Navy declared a state of precaution for Easter Island.
Latin America has endured a series of destructive quakes this year. In June, two earthquakes in Venezuela killed more than 6,400 people, and an August tremor in Colombia left around 300 dead.
