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Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Strikes Southern Panama
USGS PAGER issued a red alert for economic losses and a yellow alert for deaths from shaking.
Primary sources
U.S. Geological Survey · agency · published 2026-10-09
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Script
At 12:56 p.m. local time Friday, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama. The U.S. Geological Survey places the epicenter about 12 kilometers west-southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, at 7.5868 degrees north and 80.7690 degrees west. The origin time was 17:56 UTC, and the depth was 12.6 kilometers. The event id is us6000u18k. USGS PAGER issued a red alert for economic losses: extensive damage is probable, the disaster is likely widespread, and estimated losses are 1 to 10 percent of Panama's GDP. Past events at this alert level have required a national or international response. PAGER also issued a yellow alert for deaths caused by shaking, which means some casualties are possible. USGS notes that vulnerable buildings in this region include unreinforced brick and adobe. The product counts structural damage only. It does not measure tsunamis, landslides, or liquefaction.
Claims
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred at 17:56:06 UTC on October 9, 2026 (12:56:06 p.m. local), 12 km west-southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama, at 7.5868°N, 80.7690°W, depth 12.6 km. Event id us6000u18k.
PAGER issued a red alert for economic losses: extensive damage is probable, the disaster is likely widespread, estimated losses are 1–10% of Panama's GDP, and past red-alert events have required a national or international response.
PAGER issued a yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities, meaning some casualties are possible.
The predominant vulnerable building types in the region are unreinforced brick masonry and adobe block construction.
PAGER considers losses due to structural damage only. Secondary hazards such as tsunamis, landslides, and liquefaction are outside that estimate and have contributed to losses in earlier quakes in this area.