Panama’s Powerful Quakes Expose the Tension Between Calm and Crisis

Panama’s Powerful Quakes Expose the Tension Between Calm and Crisis
Panama was jolted by two powerful earthquakes on Friday, leaving residents shaken, infrastructure damaged and officials balancing urgent warnings against appeals for calm.

The first quake, initially measured at about magnitude 7.6 or 7.7, struck near the country’s southern coast close to Pitaloza Arriba. A second major tremor followed hours later, alongside dozens of aftershocks. The shaking was felt in Panama City, where residents evacuated buildings, while damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos.

The immediate human toll appeared limited but remained uncertain. Authorities reported injuries, including a person struck by debris in Penonomé, where a cathedral partially collapsed and other buildings were damaged. Roads developed large fissures, and a historic church in Los Santos was reportedly destroyed. At the same time, the Panama Canal continued operating and Tocumen International Airport resumed service after a temporary suspension.

Officials emphasized restraint. President José Raúl Mulino said, “Nobody was ready, and no one is ever ready for this type of disaster,” while separately warning that the event should not be used to create “alarm or disorder.” That message contrasted with the more immediate crisis framing in other coverage, which highlighted evacuations, severe structural damage and tsunami warnings issued across parts of Central and South America.

Conservative coverage similarly focused on the tsunami threat and its rapid withdrawal, noting unusual sea-level changes along Panama’s coast while stressing that the warning had been lifted. Another conservative headline summarized the event as “two powerful earthquakes and multiple aftershocks,” reinforcing the scale of the seismic sequence without adding a separate casualty assessment.

The United States said it was monitoring the aftermath and, at Panama’s request, mobilizing personnel and resources. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote that the United States “stands with the people of Panama.” The competing accounts converge on a country spared, at least initially, from mass casualties—but still facing a potentially changing disaster picture.