Panama has recorded more than 200 aftershocks following Friday’s magnitude 7.7 earthquake, which damaged hundreds of homes and infrastructure in the country’s central provinces and prompted the government to declare a national state of emergency over the weekend.
Reuters reported early Monday, October 12, that rescue officials said no deaths had been reported following the earthquake. However, at least 27 people were injured and nearly 900 homes were damaged.
Néstor Luque, director of the Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of Panama, said: “We have recorded more than 200 aftershocks so far, and the tremors are continuing. However, their intensity is decreasing, and the intervals between them are getting longer.”
At least 14 bridges have also been damaged in the provinces of Veraguas and Los Santos.
Schools across the country were closed on Monday. Meanwhile, Panama Canal authorities said the earthquake had not affected shipping operations.
