DESTRUCTIVE M7.7 Earthquake hit near Santiago de Veraguas in Panama on Friday Afternoon.

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

In the early afternoon of Friday October 9th, 2026, a DESTRUCTIVE and very strong Magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit under land 62 kilometer from Santiago de Veraguas in Panama. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at such shallow depth can cause tsunami's, but this earthquake hit under land. As it's epicenter is close to a coastal area, we still advice cautiousness. Costa Rica is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Panama, 62 kilometer (39 mi) south-east of Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 13 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 9, 2026 12:56PM (Panama Time) - Oct 9, 2026 17:56 Universal Time.
Location:	62 km SE of Santiago de Veraguas, Veraguas, Panama. Coordinates 7°35'12"N 80°46'8"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.7 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.025 .
Depth:	13 km (8 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	X Extreme On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Small Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at such shallow depth can cause tsunami's, but this earthquake hit under land. As it's epicenter is close to a coastal area, we still advice cautiousness. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Small Tsunami Risk

There is a small tsunami risk following this earthquake, as it appears the epicenter was under land, 21 km from the coast. However this was a very strong earthquake at a shallow depth that would have a very high risk at causing tsunami's if it would have occurred under sea. Stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

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 ORANGE (orange). They expect an 36% likelyhood of between 100 and 1,000 fatalities, and a 97% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 10,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level RED (high). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 1,000 and 10,000 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 95% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 100 and 10,000,000 million USD.

Roughly 9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 9 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Violent shaking and likely heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 14,160 people. At IX, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 3.7 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Panama , around 4.7 million people, with impact levels up to IX (violent shaking, likely heavy damage). In Costa Rica , around 4.5 million people. A smaller number of people were exposed in the following countries: Colombia and Nicaragua.

Nearby towns and cities

5 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Panama and Costa Rica . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Colombia, Nicaragua and Ecuador.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas, Panama. Santiago de Veraguas is located 62 kilometer (39 mi) south-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Santiago de Veraguas is estimated to be around level VIII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Cali is located 659 km to the south-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Medellín is located 593 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Panamá is located 208 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage).

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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IX.

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 420 people in 8 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 420 people have reported shaking in 153 places in 8 countries (Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, Nicaragua, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras).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: 59 people.
• San Miguelito, Panamá, Panama: 35 people.
• Ancón, Panamá, Panama: 29 people.
• Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama: 11 people.
• Balboa, Panamá, Panama: 11 people.
• San José, San José, Costa Rica: 10 people.
• Tocumen, Panamá, Panama: 9 people.
• Cahuita, Limón, Costa Rica: 8 people.
• Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama: 8 people.
• David, Chiriquí, Panama: 7 people.

50 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 50 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 2 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-6.6 was detected 79 km (49 mi) west of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 12 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-2.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 7.7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Sources

Last updated 10/10/26 02:38 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000u18k
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261009_0000264
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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