A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shakes Panama, USGS reports

PANAMA CITY (AP) — A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Panama on Friday morning, shaking buildings as far away as the capital and prompting evacuations, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake was centered about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near Panama’s southern tip, the USGS said. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Tremors were felt in the capital Panama City , where buildings shook and people evacuated into the streets. Visibly shaken residents gathered outside as they waited for news of the quake’s impact.

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

Aftershocks continued to shake the streets on Friday shortly after the quake. The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning Friday for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Service urged the public to remain calm. He told the Telemetro Reporta news channel that damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos.

He said there were no reports of damage in the capital, which is known for its hundreds of skyscrapers.

Panama lies along the “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.

Local media reported that the quake was also felt in parts of neighboring Colombia. Panama's Civil Protection said it was investigating possible damages in regions near where the earthquake took place.

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