PANAMA CITY, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) — A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Panama on Friday, with its epicenter 39 kilometers northwest of Tonosi, a town in Los Santos province, according to a revised report from the University of Panama’s Institute of Geosciences.
Strong shaking was felt locally. Videos shared on social media showed the roof of the Albrook bus terminal swaying and windows shaking violently in several buildings.
Tremors were felt in the capital, Panama City, a Xinhua correspondent in the city reported, with strong side-to-side jolts while sitting and a hanging light in a room swaying intensely.
The United States Geological Survey, which initially reported a magnitude of 8.0, later revised its estimate to 7.7.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat following the earthquake, warning that hazardous tsunami waves were possible along parts of the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico within the next three hours.
The tsunami warning department of the Chilean Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service also issued an alert, saying the earthquake could trigger a tsunami affecting the country’s Easter Island.
