Powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hits Panama and triggers tsunami warnings

All checks of this article

• 10 Oct 2026, 06:39 · 8.0 / 10
• 10 Oct 2026, 00:05 · 7.0 / 10 (this report)

Contradicted by other sources

1. Contradicted The earthquake was centered about 14km (9 miles) south-west of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, near the southern tip of Panama.

   AI The claim gives 14 km, but the USGS event page reports 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, and other results report 10 km (6 miles) SW. Only the CBS report's 9-mile figure is consistent with the claim.

   • earthquake.usgs.gov M 7.7 - 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama contradicts
   • abcnews.com 7.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Panama, sparking tsunami threat in region - ABC News contradicts
   • dw.com Strong earthquakes shake Panama, prompting tsunami alert contradicts
   • sentinelcolorado.com A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations - Sentinel Colorado contradicts
   • cbsnews.com Panama struck by magnitude 7.7 earthquake, U.S. Geological Survey says - CBS News supports

2. Contradicted The Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama said the quake struck just before 1pm local time near the southern town of Tonosí.

   AI The Institute of Geosciences' location near Tonosí is supported by several results, but Newsroom Panama reports the quake struck at noon, which is incompatible with the claim's 'just before 1pm'. The results do not give the Institute's exact timing, so the time conflict rests on that single report.

   • newsroompanama.com 7.0 Earthquake Reported in Panama 39 Kilometers West of Tonosi. 7.2 in Penonome, 7 in Panama City up to 8. - Newsroom Panama contradicts
   • ticotimes.net Magnitude 7.6 Quake Centered in Panama Is Felt Across Most of Costa Rica supports

Verified facts

1. Confirmed A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Panama, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

   AI Euronews and KTVQ both explicitly report a 7.6-magnitude quake in Panama according to the USGS. Some results give other figures: NBC's headline says 7.7, and USA Today says the USGS first reported a preliminary 8.0, so the magnitude was revised across reports.

   • euronews.com Breaking news. - Tsunami threat after 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Panama, USGS says | Euronews supports
   • ktvq.com A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shakes Panama, USGS reports supports

2. Confirmed Panamanian president José Raúl Mulino asked a key minister to call for calm and wrote on X that the event should not be used to generate alarm and disorder.

   AI Multiple results report Mulino's X post saying the event should not be used to cause alarm or disorder. The results say he asked Minister Dinoska Montalvo for a report on the impact, not that he asked her to call for calm, so that part of the claim is not supported.

   • chinadaily.com.cn 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Panama - World - Chinadaily.com.cn supports
   • english.news.cn 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Panama-Xinhua supports
   • latimes.com A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations - Los Angeles Times supports
   • dw.com Strong earthquakes shake Panama, prompting tsunami alert supports

3. Confirmed Penonomé's St John Baptist Cathedral and other buildings suffered severe damage, and a highway west of the capital was sheared in half by the earthquake.

   AI Multiple results report a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral in Penonomé's main square and serious damage to a church and other buildings there, which supports the core of the claim. The results do not mention the cathedral's name (St John Baptist) or a highway being sheared in half; they only describe road cracks in Veraguas.

   • ocregister.com A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations supports
   • baltimoresun.com Two powerful earthquakes and multiple aftershocks rock Panama – Baltimore Sun supports
   • france24.com Major earthquake rocks Panama, triggers tsunami warning supports

4. Confirmed Omar Smith of Panama's National Civil Protection Service said damage was concentrated in Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos provinces and there were no reports of damage in Panama City.

   AI Multiple results (OPB, LA Times, NBC News, DW) explicitly attribute to Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Service the statement that damage was concentrated in Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos provinces, and that there were no reports of damage in the capital (Panama City). The exact wording 'central provinces' and the 'capital' reference are consistent with the claim.

   • opb.org A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations - OPB supports
   • latimes.com A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations - Los Angeles Times supports
   • nbcnews.com A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocks Panama supports
   • dw.com Strong earthquakes shake Panama, prompting tsunami alert supports

5. Confirmed The USGS said hazardous waves were possible along the coasts of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, and the tsunami warning for Chile was cancelled at 4.18pm local time.

   AI The Straits Times and Jerusalem Post report that the US tsunami warning system said hazardous waves were possible along coasts including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, and the Jerusalem Post headline attributes this to USGS. None of the results mention the cancellation of Chile's tsunami warning or the 4:18pm time, so that detail could not be checked.

   • straitstimes.com Powerful Panama earthquake shakes canal operations normal | The Straits Times supports
   • jpost.com USGS: Tsunami possible following Panama 7.6 magnitude earthquake | The Jerusalem Post supports

Could not verify

No independent source settled these either way. That doesn’t mean they are wrong.

1. Unverified A second 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Panama at 1.22pm, soon after the first quake.

   AI The only search result is an Internet Archive page for a 1974 issue of The Times, and its snippet contains nothing about a Panama earthquake, its magnitude, or its timing. The results do not address the core of the claim.

   • archive.org Full text of "The Times , 1974, UK, English" contradicts

Not checked

We check a limited number of facts per article to keep the service free. These don’t count towards the score.

• Tocumen international airport in Panama City temporarily suspended operations and activated evacuation plans after the earthquake.
• The Panama Canal Authority said canal operations were continuing normally and specialized teams were inspecting facilities for damage.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was rapidly mobilizing resources and personnel to assist Panama at the request of its government.
• The church of San Atanasio in Los Santos province, a National Historic Heritage Site since 1938, collapsed.

Author’s assumptions

Predictions or inferences in the article. They can’t be fact-checked.

• The earthquake has created a serious threat to the region and will likely reshape how Panama prepares for future disasters.

Opinions

Views and judgements, the author’s or someone quoted. Not fact-checked.

• The scale of the disaster response shows the government is overwhelmed by the quake.