A strong quake of magnitude 7.2 shook up much of Panama at noon this Friday 9 October.
According to a preliminary report from the Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama, the earthquake was 7.2, depth 4 km and located in Panama 39 km west of Tonosí, Province of Los Santos.
Néstor Luque, director of the Institute of Geosciences, emphasized that as an event with a depth of 10 km felt more strong.
At the same time, she stated that after 4:20 p.m., more than 80 aftershocks were registered.
In different regions, people evacuated buildings, shops, schools and houses due to powerful ground movements.
At Penonomé, Coclé, structural damage was reported at St. John’s Baptist Cathedral, at the Government and at Hotel Dos Continente.
The situation caused panic in several sectors of the capital as Don Bosco, Costa del Este, Pueblo Nuevo, San Miguelito, San Francisco and others.
At Calle 50, Patilla and other commercial areas have been reported falling glass from the windows of some properties.
The Idaan reported that Chifree’s potabilizer is operating at 20% of its capacity, leading to irregularities in the supply of drinking water.
At Veraguas, the Cathedral of Santiago was affected in its structure as well as the municipal office.
At Atalaya, Veraguas, the church also registered damage to the tower.
The Institute of Geosciences officially registered the tremor at 12:56 p.m. with about 10 aftershocks minutes later.
The entity indicated that up to 1:30 p.m. about 13 aftershocks had been registered, including a 6.0 and a 6.4 aftershock, located north of Tonosi.
The President of the Republic José Raúl Mulino reported on social networks that he requested the Minister of Government, Dinoska Montalvo, and the security agencies to report about the effects of the tremor.
Amid the recommendations of security stations such as Fire and Sinaproc, thousands of people remained in the streets for more than an hour.
At Venao beach, Province of Los Santos, the structure of the El Sitio hostel resulted with affections.
Suspension of classes
The Ministry of Education suspended classes at the late shift at national level and its administrative office was closed at national level.
At the same time, the University of Panama suspended administrative work as a preventive measure after the earthquake with the aim of protecting the safety of members of the university community.
Similarly, the University of Technology of Panama suspended evening class this Friday.
Passenger transport
Following the earthquake, the Tocumen International Airport suspended operations to conduct evaluations.
Similarly, the Panama Metro decided to suspend operations on lines 1 and 2.
Vehicle traffic in the capital was congested for several hours, as thousands of drivers moved to their residences after public office and some private sector companies closed.
The Panama Canal reported that operations continue normally and that related emergency protocols have been applied.
The entity’s technical teams also conducted evaluations to detect potential issues.
The Court ordered that the terms be suspended. All hearings were suspended.
Information in development…
