A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck off Panama’s southern coast at a depth of 10km, sending residents into the streets and prompting tsunami warnings across parts of the Pacific region, according to the US Geological Survey.
No immediate damage was reported in Panama, although television footage showed people leaving buildings as the tremors shook the area.
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The earthquake was later revised down from an initial estimate of 8.0 magnitude.
Residents in Panama City felt the shaking, with buildings swaying and people rushing outdoors for safety.
“We felt it very strongly,” said one resident from Herrera province, where the earthquake struck.
“It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared. Everyone is outside, scared.”
The US Tsunami Warning System warned of possible tsunami threats along much of Central America’s Pacific coast, as well as in Colombia and Ecuador.
“Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours” in the affected area, the monitor said, warning that people could be swept out to sea or struck by debris in the water.
Reuters witnesses said the quake was also felt in Panama City and San José, the capital of neighbouring Costa Rica.
Local media reported that tremors reached parts of neighbouring Colombia, while Panama’s Civil Protection said it was assessing reports of possible damage in areas close to the earthquake’s epicentre.
