The Barbados embassy in Panama City remains closed four days after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with staff working remotely while the building undergoes structural safety and security inspections.
Ambassador Amanda Martinez confirmed to Barbados TODAY that all ten staff members and their families were safe and accounted for. The embassy building is to undergo comprehensive inspections required before staff return to the office.
Barbados Ambassador to Panama Amanda Martinez
She said: “We’re all doing relatively okay after what was a rather big earthquake, a sizable earthquake for Panama.
“Within the mission, we have diplomatic and locally recruited staff, so eight of us were in the country for the event, two were outside of Panama but within their jurisdiction on official duty travel, and have since returned to the country.”
The earthquake struck at 12:56 p.m. local time on Friday, the most powerful earthquake to hit Panama since the 1970s. Its epicentre was located just under 200 kilometres from Panama City, where high-rise buildings and bridges swayed subtly in the initial quake and aftershocks.
The Institute of Geosciences at the University of Panama has recorded 416 aftershocks since the initial quake, including a magnitude-6.6 tremor that struck immediately afterwards.
Although aftershocks continue to decrease daily, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains a travel advisory for Barbadian citizens. It urges caution as Panama allocates resources to the southern and interior provinces most affected by the crisis, and strongly reminds travellers to secure comprehensive medical and travel insurance before leaving for Panama.
Ambassador Martinez added: “It was quite a shock and a surprise and a bit scary for members of the team. After the event occurred, we did immediate safety checks for all of our staff. We are fortunate here that we were guided by the example of what occurred in Venezuela, and we could take lessons learned from our colleagues there and apply them here.”
Operations continue remotely to maintain the mission’s duty of care towards its small, close-knit team. After checking on staff and their families, the embassy began reaching out to the Barbadian diaspora and visiting nationals.
“We did get a few calls from Barbadians that were visiting Panama at the time.
“As soon as the seismic event happened, we checked in on our staff and their families first. After that, we put out a wellness check. We facilitated a wellness check on the Barbadian diaspora, which is relatively small here in Panama, but we have a way to communicate with them, and relatively quickly, they confirmed that they were all safe and okay as well.”
The mission assisted several tour groups, including one that was scheduled to depart on Saturday. The envoy visited members of the initial group at their hotel before their return to Barbados over the weekend. Other groups chose to remain in the country and reported no further issues.
The embassy also met key leaders within Panama’s extensive descendant community. Tens of thousands of Barbadians helped build the Panama Canal and railway in the first decade of the 20th century, and many chose to settle there.
But fewer than 20 diaspora members are officially registered with the mission, Ambassador Martinez said, urging all citizens residing in Panama to register to streamline future emergency communication.
After the Panamanian government declared a state of emergency on Sunday, embassy staff donated a small amount of non-perishable food, personal hygiene products, and supplies for infants and older adults to the primary collection point at Parque Omar, coordinated by the Office of the First Lady of Panama.
In a statement of “solidarity” on Saturday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley underlined enduring historical and cultural ties with Panama and offered official assistance: “We are grateful for the initial reports that no lives have been lost or injuries sustained. But we know that even where lives are spared, the fear, uncertainty and disruption experienced by families and communities are very real. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Barbados stands with Panama.”
The canal, one of the world’s critical trade corridors, remained resilient despite the earthquake.
“One thing that did not shut down during the earthquake and since was the Panama Canal,” Ambassador Martinez said.
“The Panama Canal Authority remained operational during this entire period. While the visitor centre had closed temporarily over the weekend, the Panama Canal itself did not close at any point.”
The Colon Free Trade Zone and Tocumen International Airport temporarily closed for safety assessments, causing initial flight disruptions, but operations have since normalised across major transport hubs.
(RR)
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