A 68-year-old woman who had been seriously injured in the earthquake that occurred last Friday in Panama He died this Wednesday in a hospital in the Panamanian capital, and becomes the first official death related to this 7.7 magnitude earthquake that injured nearly thirty people.
“With deep regret, We confirmed at 3:42 pm the death of Mrs. Elena Barría, 68 years old, who was seriously injured during the earthquake that occurred on Friday, October 9, 2026,” reported – in a brief statement – the Social Security Fund (CSS) of Panama.
The CSS, which manages the hospital, extended its “sincere condolences to her family, friends and loved ones at this time of pain” and recognized “the strength and fortitude demonstrated by both the patient and her family during this difficult process.”
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, also referred to Barría’s death.
“I want to inform you that one of those injured by the earthquake last Friday, who had a pre-existing condition of limb amputation due to severe diabetes, has died today. The traumas suffered, combined with the previous illness, did not make his recovery possible, despite the efforts of our doctors,” said the president -in X-.
As detailed by family members to EFE, Mrs. Barría, diabetic and without a leg, died due to a natural heart attack, after undergoing successful surgery on the perforated abdomen caused by the earthquake.
Barría lived in the small town of Macaracas, one of the most affected by the earthquake, and in the collapse of his house he suffered an abdominal perforation.
The rescue
A son and two neighbors managed to get the woman out from under the remains of the house, in addition to removing the iron beam that had injured her when it fell from the roof.
Francisco Peralta, one of the neighbors who came to the rescue, told EFE that when they arrived at the demolished house, the woman was begging: “Oh, get me out, get me out.” They had to remove a rod that pierced “her belly” so they could then carry it out on their shoulders. and, in her brother’s vehicle, take her to the hospital.
Both the victim’s family and Peralta report that when they took her to the emergency room in the town, they did not treat her immediately, but rather after waiting for more than an hour on the street on a mattress “dropping blood.”
The relatives report that, after waiting, Barría was transferred to undergo surgery to a regional hospital and later to another in the capital, a surgery that was successful. But this Wednesday he died due to cardiac arrest.
“If that lady had been taken care of once and for all, she might not have died, but the fatal news is that the lady died today. It hurts us because they are very good neighbors and the lady was very affectionate, very attentive. But nothing could be done,” lamented Peralta.
The earthquake on October 9 of magnitude 7.7 – according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), while the Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama lowered it to 7.5 – has also directly affected more than 11,500 people, according to the official record, with 3,696 of them in more than 45 temporary shelters after damage occurred in at least 3,390 homes, of which 727 were destroyed.
In addition, after the earthquake, 619 educational centers were affected, of which 35 completely collapsed, and damage was done to more than sixty government buildings, 44 churches, 67 health centers, eleven hotels and a dozen roads, tracks and bridges throughout the Central American country.
