Urgent tsunami threat issued after massive 7.7 earthquake rocks Panama
A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked Panama, triggering an urgent tsunami threat message.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous waves were possible along parts of nine countries: Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
People in threatened coastal areas were urged to stay alert and follow instructions from national and local authorities.
‘A tsunami is a series of waves. The time between wave crests can vary from five minutes to an hour,’ the National Weather Service (NWS) Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Honolulu, HI said in the alert.
‘The hazard may persist for many hours or longer after the initial wave.’
The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the earthquake as an 8.0, but later reduced it to a 7.7 magnitude.
The seismic activity struck southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a small village with just a little over 100 residents, but it was felt in the capital of Panama City as well as in the capital of neighboring Costa Rica.
Footage from the San Miguelito Metro station in Panama City, about 134 miles from the epicenter, captured panic and evacuations moments after the area shook.
A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked Panama, triggering an urgent tsunami threat message
People evacuated buildings in drove after feeling the earthquake in Panama City
Workers and visitors of a maternity ward at the Santo Tomas Hospital in Panama City also fled the building
Visibly shaken residents gathered outside in the streets of Panama as they waited for news of the quake’s impact.
Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who is from Herrera province, where the earthquake struck, told The Associated Press: ‘We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared.’
Panama’s Civil Protection said it was investigating possible damage in regions near where the earthquake took place.
This is a developing story… More updates to come.
