Powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake shakes Panama, triggering tsunami warnings

Two powerful earthquakes, magnitude 7.5 and 6.6, struck Panama, damaging buildings and forcing thousands onto the streets. Thousands rushed out of buildings, shopping malls and schools as the quake shook the country on Friday. The tremors were felt as far away as Colombia and Costa Rica.

The epicentre was in rural Herrera province, in central Panama. More than a hundred aftershocks have continued throughout Friday, including one measuring magnitude 6.6. Authorities reported no casualties by late Friday.

The earthquake also triggered tsunami warnings along the Pacific coast, from Panama to Peru and as far as Chile and Hawaii. At the Panama Canal, authorities activated emergency protocols, but shipping has continued uninterrupted.

Earthquakes this powerful are relatively rare in Panama, and with aftershocks continuing, people remain on edge.

Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti reports.

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