On Friday, 9 October 2026, at 12:56 local time, the earth in Panama shook harder than it had in decades. The centre lay on the Azuero Peninsula, precisely the region where many people moving from abroad look for a house by the sea or in the hills. Eleven days later, a solid official assessment is available. It shows heavy damage to homes, schools and roads in a limited area, very few casualties, and a state that has declared a national emergency and begun rebuilding.
What happened on 9 October
The US Geological Survey (USGS) records the main shock with a moment magnitude of 7.7 at a depth of around 12.6 kilometres. According to the USGS, the epicentre lies in the interior of the Azuero Peninsula, about 12 kilometres west-southwest of the village of Pitaloza Arriba. Panama's civil protection agency SINAPROC cites in its bulletins the values of the Instituto de Geociencias at the Universidad de Panamá: magnitude 7.5, epicentre 39 kilometres north-west of Tonosí in Los Santos province, depth 4 kilometres. Two institutes giving slightly different values is normal for large earthquakes, because they calculate with different stations and methods. It does not change the picture: this was a very strong, shallow quake directly beneath inhabited land.
According to the USGS focal mechanism, it was predominantly a sideways slip of two blocks of rock. There was no major tsunami. The sea was not left entirely untouched, though: on Isla Cañas, according to the bulletin of the evening of 9 October, the authorities moved around 300 people to safety because of a rise in sea level.
The USGS earthquake catalogue shows how rare such an event is in the region. Within 400 kilometres of the epicentre there has been no stronger earthquake since 1900. The next strongest was the Limón earthquake in Costa Rica in April 1991, at 7.6; on Panamanian territory, the 1934 earthquake near Burica on the Costa Rican border, at 7.5.
The aftershocks
The main shock was followed by a long series of aftershocks. On the first afternoon alone, SINAPROC reported more than 47 tremors that could be felt. The USGS catalogue lists, up to 19 October and within 150 kilometres, 79 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 and above, 19 of them of magnitude 5 and above. The three strongest:
The quake of 12 October in particular shows why the authorities urge caution: an aftershock of that strength can bring down buildings that are already weakened. Aftershocks cannot be predicted. Their number falls over time, but individual strong jolts remain possible for weeks.
The official toll: figures of 19 October
Civil protection counts the damage with a standardised survey, the Evaluación de Daños y Análisis de Necesidades (EDAN). According to bulletin no. 16 of 19 October, the position is as follows:
| Impact | As of 19 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Homes assessed | more than 9,500 |
| of which destroyed | 2,318 |
| of which with moderate or partial damage | 5,546 |
| of which with minor damage | 1,260 |
| People affected in the homes assessed | 31,643 |
| Injured | 27 |
| People in emergency shelters (as of 17 October) | 3,827 in 55 shelters |
On top of that, according to bulletin no. 15 of 18 October, there are 619 damaged schools and 42 damaged health facilities. A situation report from the morning of 19 October lists one person who died, in addition to the 27 injured. For an earthquake of this strength, that is an exceptionally low toll. The number of homes assessed, on the other hand, is still rising every day, as the teams reach ever more remote communities. The figures are expressly provisional.
Which regions are affected
The hardest-hit provinces are Los Santos, Herrera, Veraguas and Coclé. The government says so itself in its emergency resolution, based on the governors' reports. In Veraguas, the districts of Soná and Mariato were hit hardest. That is also where most people in emergency shelters come from: around 70% of everyone housed in shelters is from Veraguas.
In Los Santos, according to the bulletin of 10 October, several communities were cut off by damaged bridges, roads and landslides, the road from Pedasí to Tonosí was closed, and water supply and electricity failed in the district of Tonosí. According to a statement from the Presidency of 17 October, the routes from Las Tablas, from Macaracas and from Cambutal to Tonosí are open again, and the road to Búcaro can be used via diversions. In Veraguas, work on the link between Atalaya, Mariato, Quebro and Flores was still under way at that point.
There was damage outside the core area, too. In Coclé, according to the first bulletin, the quake damaged hotels, churches and shop fronts. In Panama City, SINAPROC reported minor damage to four residential high-rises, hospitals were evacuated as a precaution, and the large Chilibre water treatment plant was running at only 20% of its capacity on the day of the quake. On 18 October, civil protection reported that most of the country's waterworks were operating again.
The national state of emergency
The cabinet acted the very next day. With Resolución de Gabinete No. 108 of 10 October 2026, published in the official gazette Gaceta Oficial No. 30631, the Estado de Emergencia Nacional applies to the whole republic. The key points:
What matters for you as a foreigner is what the resolution does not contain: no entry restrictions and no curfew. It is about fast procurement, aid and organisation.
Reconstruction, schools and hospitals
According to the statement of 17 October, the housing ministry has begun rebuilding, starting in Pesé in Herrera province. The plans include new houses for families who lost their homes, partial repairs and the distribution of building materials. First demolition and construction work is also under way in Soná and Río de Jesús (Veraguas), in Las Minas (Herrera), in La Pintada and Penonomé (Coclé) and in San Félix (Chiriquí).
Schools are reopening step by step. According to an announcement of 18 October, classes resume on Wednesday, 21 October, in 770 inspected schools in twelve education regions, including Panama City, Panamá Oeste, Colón, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro. In Los Santos, Herrera, Coclé and Veraguas, schools remain closed for now, until each building has been cleared. If you plan to move to these provinces with school-age children, factor that into your planning. Fishing is permitted again without restriction, except at the damaged pier in Búcaro.
On healthcare, the social security fund CSS reports, after an inspection on 19 October, that the polyclinic in Los Santos is again offering around 95% of its services and that the polyclinic in Las Tablas continues to operate. Buildings without safety clearance after the structural inspection stay closed to patients and staff.
What foreign ministries advise
Foreign ministries updated their travel advice for Panama within days. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) added an earthquake notice to its Panama travel advice on the day of the quake. It says the initial tsunami warnings have been lifted, asks people in coastal areas to stay vigilant, follow the instructions of the local authorities and move away from the shoreline if advised to, and points to the possibility of aftershocks.
The Government of Canada went further in its travel advice for Panama, updated on 16 October: it advises against non-essential travel to the townships (corregimientos) of Arena, El Cacao and Quebro in Veraguas province because of the earthquake damage. Your own government publishes its own advice, likewise the US State Department and Australia's Smartraveller. Read yours before you travel, because each ministry words things differently and updates at a different time.
What the quake means for your plans
Panama was an earthquake country before 9 October. What is new is that a large quake struck not on the border with Costa Rica or offshore, but in the middle of the Azuero Peninsula, a region many people have so far associated mainly with beaches, fiestas and affordable plots of land. The toll also shows something else, though: the heavy damage is concentrated in the communities of the core area, there were hardly any casualties, and the state declared an emergency and made funds available within a day. What else defines the country is set out in our honest overview of moving to Panama.
If you live in Azuero or Veraguas, or want to buy there: have the house inspected by an engineer after the quake before you invest larger sums, and when buying, ask specifically about damage from October 2026 and how it was repaired. With new builds, the construction method is worth a look: solid reinforced concrete with properly installed reinforcement behaves differently from unreinforced masonry or earth construction. Check, too, whether your buildings insurance expressly includes earthquake damage. What to look out for in general when buying property in Panama is explained in our guide to buying property in Panama.
If you live in Panama City or in a high-rise: damage in the capital remained minor. Even so, it pays to know your building's emergency plans, check the escape routes and keep a few days' supply of water, because the water supply was noticeably restricted on the day of the quake. What everyday safety otherwise looks like is covered in our reality check on safety in Panama.
If you are planning a visit or the move right now: the emergency resolution does not restrict entry, and travel to Panama is possible. In the core areas of Los Santos, Herrera and Veraguas, however, roads, accommodation and public offices are in part still provisional. Plan appointments there with time to spare. Because of possible aftershocks, keep an emergency bag ready with documents, medication, water and food.
For everyone who already lives there: many countries run a registration service for citizens living or travelling abroad, so that the embassy can reach them in an emergency. Check whether yours does and sign up. Keep your passport, residence card and copies of important documents to hand in one place.
A quake of this strength is not an isolated case in Latin America. How Colombia dealt with a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in August, and what lessons it holds for finding a home and preparing, is covered in our article on the Colombia earthquake of 2026. The basic facts on Panama as a country of residence are on our Panama country page.
What happens next
The state of emergency and the special budget run until the end of 2026, and the cabinet can extend or increase both. SINAPROC continues to publish new bulletins almost daily, and the number of homes assessed will keep rising until every community has been covered. When it comes to choosing where you live, what counts in the end is less the figures of any single day than three questions: how is the house built, how easy is the place to reach when a road gives way, and how quickly can you get to a hospital that keeps working after an earthquake.