Shallow M6.6 AFTERSHOCK hit near Santiago de Veraguas in Panama on Friday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 9th, 2026. Last updated October 10th, 2026.

A shallow and strong Magnitude 6.6 aftershock struck under land 68 kilometer from Santiago de Veraguas in Panama in the afternoon of Friday October 9th, 2026. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Another nearby country is Costa Rica.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Panama, 68 kilometer (42 mi) southwest of Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 9, 2026 03:25PM (Panama Time) - Oct 9, 2026 20:25 Universal Time.
Location:	68 km SW of Santiago de Veraguas, Veraguas, Panama. Coordinates 7°43'3"N 81°28'7"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.6 Detected by 199 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Significant impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 50% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 99% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 100.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 38% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 95% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 1.4 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1.4 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 410 people. At VIII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 0.8 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Panama .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Panama and Costa Rica are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas, Panama is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 68 kilometer (42 mi) southwest of Santiago de Veraguas. The intensity of shaking and damage in Santiago de Veraguas is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Panamá is located 257 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). San Miguelito is located 265 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). San José is located 378 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 25 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 25 people have reported shaking in 21 places in 2 countries (Panama, Costa Rica).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Panamá, Panamá, Panama: 3 people.
• Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama: 2 people.
• San Miguelito, Panamá, Panama: 2 people.
• Soná, Veraguas, Panama: 1 person.
• San José, San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Tocumen, Panamá, Panama: 1 person.
• San Vicente, San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Ancón, Panamá, Panama: 1 person.
• San Isidro (San Isidro de El General), San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 2 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck 78 km (49 mi) east of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 6.6 earthquake as an aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 years.

Sources

Last updated 10/10/26 02:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000u19w
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261009_0000316
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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