PENONOME: A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Panama, collapsing buildings and roads in the centre of the country and injuring at least 27 people, with no deaths reported. The shallow tremor was felt across the Central American nation of around 4.5 million people, according to the National Civil Protection System. The head of emergency operations Rene Garcia said that there were no reports of fatalities so far.
In Panama City, about 200 kilometres from the epicentre, there were scenes of panic as people rushed to evacuate from the city's emblematic skyscrapers. A video widely shared on social media showed water falling from the rooftop pool of a building. Another showed a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking violently but remaining upright as vehicles travelled across it.
There were 27 people with minor injuries across the country as a result of the quake, according to a statement from the National Civil Protection System. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 12:56 pm local time with an epicentre 10 kilometres (six miles) from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in central Herrera province. — AFP
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