Urgent tsunami threat issued after massive 7.7 earthquake rocks Panama

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Published: 14:23 EDT, 9 October 2026 | Updated: 15:31 EDT, 9 October 2026

A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked Panama, triggering an urgent tsunami threat message.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous waves were possible along parts of nine countries: Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.

People in threatened coastal areas were urged to stay alert and follow instructions from national and local authorities.

‘A tsunami is a series of waves. The time between wave crests can vary from five minutes to an hour,’ the National Weather Service (NWS) Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Honolulu, HI said in the alert.

‘The hazard may persist for many hours or longer after the initial wave.’

The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the earthquake as an 8.0, but later reduced it to a 7.7 magnitude.

The seismic activity struck southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a small village with just a little over 100 residents, but it was felt in the capital of ​Panama City as well ​as ⁠in the capital of neighboring Costa Rica.

Footage from the San Miguelito Metro station in Panama City, about 134 miles from the epicenter, captured panic and evacuations moments after the area shook.

A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked Panama, triggering an urgent tsunami threat message

People evacuated buildings in drove after feeling the earthquake in Panama City

Workers and visitors of a maternity ward at the Santo Tomas Hospital in Panama City also fled the building

Visibly shaken residents gathered outside in the streets of Panama as they waited for news of the quake’s impact.

Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who is from Herrera province, where the earthquake struck, told The Associated Press: ‘We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared.’

Workers and visitors of a maternity ward at the Santo Tomas Hospital in Panama City also fled the building.

The evacuation forced even week-old babies outside, as residents waited for news about damage impacts.

Panama’s Civil Protection said it was investigating possible damage in regions near where the earthquake took place.

The Panama Canal Authority also reported that the country’s waterway is operating normally.

More than 45 minutes later, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit in Bajo Corral, which is located 28 miles east of Pitaloza Arriba.

The USGS then recorded a third quake, measuring magnitude 5.8, near El Cacao.

The village lies about 18 miles southwest of the first quake’s epicenter.

A maternity ward in Panama City was forced to evacaute, forcing week-old babies outside

Hospital personnel at the children’s hospital were seen standing outside moments after the earthquake hit

Above is an aerial view of people leaving the hostpital after the earthquake hit

Several other 5.5-magnitude earthquakes hit off the coast of Panama more than one hour after the first struck.

A USGS map shows the strongest shaking from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake was reported near the epicenter on the Azuero Peninsula, with powerful tremors around Ocú and Las Tablas.

Shaking was also reported in Santiago and farther west in David, Boquete and Changuinola. Lighter tremors reached Panama City.