Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Strikes Panama Days After Powerful 7.7 Quake
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A preliminary magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted southern Panama on Monday evening, sending fresh anxiety through a nation already reeling from a destructive 7.7 magnitude tremor last Friday.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the latest tremor struck at 6:20 p.m. local time at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres. Its epicenter was located roughly 18 kilometres west of the town of Río Grande.
While the shaking registered at Level VII (Very Strong) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, Panama’s civil protection agency reported no immediate casualties or additional infrastructure damage from Monday's quake.
The seismic event follows a devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake on October 9 that prompted the government to declare a national state of emergency.
Friday’s historic tremor—one of the largest ever recorded in Panama—left at least 27 people injured, flattened buildings near the epicenter, and damaged nearly 900 homes across central provinces.
Over 300 aftershocks have rattled the region since Friday. Emergency services continue to monitor the area closely as local authorities assess remote communities for structural integrity.