The Panamanian government declared a state of emergency on Saturday after aftershocks from two strong earthquakes shook communities for hours on end.
According to officials, Friday's magnitude 7.7 and 6.6 quakes have not been linked to any deaths, but caused damage across all 10 of Panama's provinces and two Indigenous regions. Seismologists have recorded more than 100 aftershocks, including tremors of magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earlier quake – which was also felt in neighbouring Colombia – had its epicentre about 10km southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba in the central province of Herrera. The earthquake struck at a depth of 10km.
Presidency Minister Juan Carlos Orillac announced the state of emergency at a news conference in the capital, Panama City. He said damaged facilities included homes, schools, health centres, roads and hotels.
Malitzie Rivera, deputy director of the National Civil Protection System, said 27 people were reported injured, with injuries ranging from mild to moderate. Most of the damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos.
The Civil Protection agency said about 420 homes and a comparable number of public schools were damaged. It also reported that 7 hotels, at least 13 churches and 9 bridges were affected by the earthquakes.
In La Villa de Los Santos, a colonial-era community about 64km northeast of the epicentre, several homes and a historic Catholic church collapsed. People who spent the night in the streets are waiting for government guidance on what to do next.
"We've been here since 1pm yesterday; we haven't moved," said Tony Jiménez, whose home was partially destroyed, speaking as he sat with relatives under a tent. "It was a horrible thing. I can say for sure that in my 90 years I have never experienced anything like it. It was very intense – really intense."
On Saturday, officials had not reported any missing people but said some communities remained cut off by landslides and damaged roads.
According to Carlos Valdés, head of seismology at Mexico's National Autonomous University, the country's apparent escape from widespread casualties may be due to strict building codes, particularly regulations on high-rise construction in the capital.
Immediately after the earthquakes, messages of support and offers of assistance poured in from across the region. President Mulino thanked Latin American leaders on Friday, saying he had spoken with the presidents of Chile, Uruguay and Guatemala, among others.
The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it had deployed a disaster response team to support local authorities with search-and-rescue expertise as well as aerial and ground assessments. The U.S. government also pledged US$5 million in humanitarian aid.
U.S. Southern Command said two helicopters, with support from the State Department's drug-control agency, delivered 2,000 pounds (907kg) of food to people affected by the earthquakes.
