Traumatised Panamanians begin recovery from 7.7-magnitude earthquake
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CHITRE, Panama –
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Panamanians → traumatise → earthquake
Residents near the epicentre of a major earthquake in southern Panama began cleaning up on Oct 10, traumatised by the previous day’s strong shaking that left widespread damage but so far no reported deaths.
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that → begin → damage
“This is something we’ve never seen before.
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we → see → ?
We weren’t prepared for this kind of event,” said Aldulfo Quintero as he cleared debris from a store in Chitre, about 250km south-west of Panama City.
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he → prepare → City
The 41-year-old told AFP he has a “great fear” that a new earthquake could strike any moment.
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earthquake → tell → fear
After the initial 7.7-magnitude quake around midday on Oct 9, more than 100 aftershocks have been recorded, some as strong as magnitude 6.0.
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some → record → magnitude
Like many others in Chitre, the capital of hard-hit Herrera province, 28-year-old Yakshuri Castillo chose to sleep outdoors due to fears of another quake.
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Castillo → hit → quake
She told AFP she “went into shock” when the first quake struck.
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quake → tell → shock
In Macaracas, also located in Herrera province, 68-year-old retiree Javier Jimenez said he had to sleep at the town’s school.
“We can’t live like this,” he said, his home’s entrance covered with broken tiles from his roof.
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entrance → locate → roof
“Everyone is afraid because the earthquakes are constant, we don’t dare to return,” he added.
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he → dare → ?
Dozens of homes were damaged in the city, whose 66,000 residents were still without electricity on Oct 10.
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residents → damage → Oct
The epicentre of the initial quake was registered by the US Geological Survey (USGS) about 60km away, near the border of Herrera, Los Santos, and Veraguas provinces.
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epicentre → register → provinces
Earthquakes are rare in Panama and usually occur in western Chiriqui province, bordering Costa Rica.
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Earthquakes → occur → Rica
State of emergency
Strong shaking in Panama City, more than 200km from the epicentre, sent panicked people pouring into the streets from the capital’s numerous high-rise buildings.
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shaking → send → buildings
While no deaths have been reported from the quake, about 30 people have been treated for minor injuries.
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people → report → injuries
Authorities are still assessing the damage in remote areas.
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Authorities → assess → areas
Several communities have been cut off due to roadways damaged by the quake.
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communities → cut → quake
“The disaster we are facing is massive,” Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said upon arriving in one of the affected areas.
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Mulino → face → areas
His government declared a state of emergency on Oct 10, a move that will speed up procedures to manage “up to US$100 million (S$128 million)” in humanitarian aid, according to Presidency Minister Juan Carlos Orillac.
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that → declare → Orillac
The United States, which counts Panama among the members of President Donald Trump’s new “Shield of the Americas” initiative, has pledged rapid support.
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which → count → support
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X on Oct 9 that he was “closely monitoring” the situation, with his office “rapidly mobilising resources and personnel to assist”.
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office → say → resources
The top US military commander in the region, Francis Donovan, has “directed immediate support to help the people of Panama, including on-the-ground support from rotary-wing aircraft...and the airlift of key personnel and supplies into the country,” US Southern Command said in a statement on Oct 10.
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Command → direct → Oct
The Panamanian quake is at least the fourth quake in 2026 in Latin America surpassing 7.0 in magnitude, after devastating back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela’s Guaira in June and a powerful earthquake in western Colombia in August.
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quake → surpass → August
The Aporia
