USGS warns of hazardous waves possible along seven Pacific coastlines
A magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck near Panama’s southern coast on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting tsunami warnings along the Pacific coasts of Central and South America.
The USGS said the epicenter sat about 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near the southern tip of the Central American country. The Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama said the main quake hit just before 1 p.m. local time near the southern town of Tonosí, and reported a second 6.0-magnitude earthquake at 1:22 p.m.
Local newspaper La Prensa reported that buildings, schools and homes across Panama were evacuated in response to what the paper called the “powerful movement of the earth.”
The shaking reached the capital. The Associated Press reported buildings swayed in Panama City and visibly shaken residents gathered outside to await news of the quake’s impact. Witnesses who spoke to Reuters said tremors were felt strongly across the capital.
The USGS warned that hazardous waves were possible along the coasts of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico — a stretch of Pacific seaboard from Central America to western South America. The warnings put seven national coastlines on alert from a single offshore seismic event.