Unnerved Panamanians sleep in streets as aftershocks rattle quake-hit towns

Published October 10, 2026 1:25pm ET | Updated October 10, 2026 1:25pm ET



LA VILLA DE LOS SANTOS, Panama (AP) — Unnerved residents of rural Panama awoke Saturday on the streets as the aftershocks of two powerful earthquakes that roiled the country shook their communities for hours.

The 7.7- and 6.6-magnitude earthquakes toppled buildings near the epicenter and prompted evacuations across the Central American country. Seismologists at the University of Panama recorded dozens of aftershocks, including ones measuring magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2.

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