PANAMA CITY: Panama has recorded more than 200 aftershocks following Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake that damaged hundreds of homes and infrastructure across the country's central provinces, prompting the government to declare a national state of emergency over the weekend.
No deaths have been reported, but at least 27 people were injured and nearly 900 homes have been damaged, according to emergency authorities, though the figure could rise as assessments continue in remote communities.
The emergency declaration will allow the government to allocate up to US$100 million in relief funds without exceeding its 2026 fiscal deficit target of 3.5% of GDP, the economy ministry said.
"We have already recorded more than 200 aftershocks, and they are continuing, but their magnitude is decreasing and the intervals between them are getting longer," Nestor Luke, director of the University of Panama's Institute of Geosciences, told Reuters.
The US has pledged US$5 million in assistance and is sending a 20-member team to help with rescue operations and infrastructure assessments, US Ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera said.
President Jose Raul Mulino visited affected areas to deliver aid and called for urgent repairs to roads and bridges to facilitate relief efforts. At least 14 bridges were damaged in the provinces of Veraguas and Los Santos.
Classes were suspended nationwide on Monday, while the Panama Canal said shipping operations remained unaffected by the earthquake.