Getty ImagesA massive magnitude 7.7 earthquake has hit Panama, damaging buildings and causing widespread shaking.
About 4.6 million people felt moderate to severe tremors as a result of the quake, according to the US Geological Survey, which has said that the effects of the quake were “likely to be widespread”.
It struck just before 15:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Friday, with an epicentre about 6.2 miles (10km) from the town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama.
Footage shared online appears to show collapsed buildings in the towns of Penonomé and Soná, including one of a man calling out to anyone trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building. No casualties have so far been reported.
Another video showed a local hotel had almost completely collapsed.
Ricardo Brown, who lives in the southern Herrera province, told news agency Reuters that the earthquake had damaged several homes in his neighbourhood of Las Minas.
“We’re scared. It’s just the two of us old folks here. The house has cracked and we’re afraid it could fall on us,” the 74-year-old said.
The full extent of the damage it has caused is not yet clear, though several large aftershocks were also reported near the initial earthquake, potentially complicating the situation on the surface.
The quake was registered as occurring at a depth of just 12km. The shallower the earthquake, the more likely it is to have more severe effects on the surface.
Many people were evacuated from buildings in Panama City, about 200km from the epicentre, and were seen taking to the streets or sitting in nearby parks until the shaking had ceased.
Damage in the capital appears to be limited to that caused by debris falling from roofs.
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino said his entire government was mobilising in response to the earthquake, adding: “What happened should not be used to cause alarm or disorder.”
Tsunami warnings were initially issued for 11 countries neighbouring Panama, before the US Tsunami Warning System confirmed there was no threat.
The Panama Canal – a vital waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – was unaffected by the earthquake, the authority that oversees marine traffic through it said.
The earthquake comes just three days before Panama was scheduled to hold a national evacuation drill for dealing with a major earthquake.
It also follows devastating earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela earlier this year.
