According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake's epicenter was located about 10 kilometers southwest of the community of Pitaloza Arriba, along the Pacific coast. The U.S. National Weather Service issued tsunami warnings for Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala the same day. Chile's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service also issued a tsunami warning.
Residents of Panama City said they felt strong shaking, with buildings swaying and many people rushing into the streets. Rosendo Dominguez, 60, who lives in Herrera province — where the earthquake struck — told The Associated Press by phone: "We felt it very strongly. Things in the kitchen were knocked out of place, but we are safe, although everyone is very frightened." He added: "Everyone is out in the street, scared."
Videos shared by the newspaper La Prensa showed the tower of a historic building collapsed, along with several balconies of a residential complex in Penonome — a city located almost exactly between the epicenter and Panama City. Panama's Ministry of Education ordered all schools closed.
The region has been hit by several devastating earthquakes this year. In June, two consecutive earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, causing widespread destruction and killing at least 6,500 people. In August, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia killed at least 289 people.
