A 7.7 Earthquake Just Hit Panama — Tsunami Threat Issued for Five Countries

PANAMA CITY, Panama — A major earthquake struck Panama on Friday afternoon, and the story is still moving fast. The U.S. Geological Survey puts the quake at magnitude 7.7, centered on the Pacific side of the country near Herrera Province — close enough to the coast, and shallow enough, that the National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center immediately issued a tsunami threat for five countries. If you're just catching up, here's what we know, what changed since the first alerts, and what's still developing.

The number settled at 7.7 — for now

First, the number. The USGS's initial reading said 8.0, and that figure flashed across screens everywhere within minutes. Then came the revision: 7.7. This is normal in the first hours after a big quake — the earliest readings come from the fastest available sensors and get refined as more stations weigh in — but say it plainly: the magnitude is still preliminary and could be tweaked again. Don't get anchored to any single decimal yet.

What hasn't moved between revisions is the geography. The epicenter sits roughly 7 to 11 miles southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a community in Herrera Province on Panama's Pacific side, and the rupture happened at a shallow depth of about 7 to 10 miles. Shallow is the word that matters here: a 7.7 at that depth does far more damage — and moves far more water — than the same magnitude buried deep in the crust. Panama's Pacific coast sits right on top of the subduction zone where the Cocos Plate dives under the Caribbean Plate, the same violent geology that has produced this coastline's biggest tsunamigenic quakes for as long as anyone has been measuring them.

The tsunami threat: who it's for, and how big

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's threat covers Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, and Mexico appearing in some bulletins. The forecast breaks down like this: waves of 3 to 9 feet possible along Panama's coast, 1 to 3 feet for Ecuador, and under a foot elsewhere. And the part worth saying clearly: there is no tsunami threat to the U.S. mainland.

For anyone on a Pacific beach in Central or South America tonight: a tsunami threat means get off the beach, get away from the shore, and get to high ground or inland until authorities give the all-clear. A 3-to-9-foot wave doesn't sound cinematic, but tsunami waves don't break like surf — they arrive as a fast, powerful surge of water that floods and drags. Do not go to the beach to watch it come in. That is the single most important practical thing in this story right now.

On the ground: shaking, evacuations, and a damage picture still forming

The quake was felt widely. In Panama City, buildings shook and people poured into the streets. The shaking carried across borders — it was felt in parts of Costa Rica and Colombia as well. As of Friday evening, damage and casualty reports remain limited. Say that plainly: nobody has a real accounting yet.

The USGS's automated impact model says some casualties are possible and extensive damage is probable — but that is a model estimate, not a count of actual victims. It would be wrong to report it as one. We will not invent casualty numbers, and neither should anyone else. The real picture comes from rescue and survey teams on the ground in the hours ahead, and we will update this story as those reports arrive.

The response: Panama mobilizes, Washington moves fast

Panama's president, José Raúl Mulino, is mobilizing the entire government in response to the quake, with a press conference pending. That's the posture you want in the first hours — the full machinery of the state moving, and information flowing, not reassurance theater.

In Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department is "rapidly mobilizing resources and personnel" at Panama's request. If you're a U.S. citizen in the affected area, the consular hotline is +1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada, or +1-202-501-4444 from elsewhere.

Aftershocks — and the brutal context of 2026

The aftershocks are already coming. The strongest so far: a magnitude 6.6 near Santiago de Veraguas, with 5s and 4s behind it. Aftershocks cluster near the epicenter and can finish what the mainshock started — if you're in Herrera or the surrounding provinces, treat every aftershock seriously and stay out of damaged buildings.

Zoom out and the context is grim. This is the third-strongest earthquake of 2026, behind only a 7.8 in the Philippines on June 7 and a 7.8 in Indonesia on August 14. And Latin America is having a brutal seismic year: over the summer, Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes that killed more than 6,400 people, while a tremor in Colombia left around 300 dead. Panama just joined that list.

What to watch next

Three things, in order. First, the damage accounting, as survey teams reach Herrera Province and the early "limited reports" either stay limited or get worse. Second, the tsunami picture along the Pacific coast — wave arrivals or the all-clear. Third, Mulino's press conference, which should bring the first official government assessment. Aftershocks will keep coming for days. This is a developing story, and this page will be updated as the situation develops.

While you're watching this story, another hemisphere-scale emergency is unfolding Friday: Hurricane Isaias is a Category 3 closing in on the Florida Panhandle, with landfall expected tonight. For everything else developing today, the Previously news desk is updating through the evening.