DOMINANT ANGLE
Buenos Aires is gauging the extent of the Panamanian earthquake through images of panic and the tally of damage, from the collapsed hotel in Penonomé to the official toll of 27 minor injuries.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the Sinaproc report cited by EFE/Infobae: at least 27 minor injuries, around 300 evacuees, and over 400 affected buildings, with no fatalities.
- 02
The USGS revised the magnitude from 8.0 to 7.6 and then 7.7; the epicenter was approximately 10 km deep near Pitaloza Arriba (Herrera), 240 km from the capital.
- 03
The tsunami alert targeted nine Pacific countries before being lifted; the closure of Tocumen resulted in seven flights being rerouted to Costa Rica.
ANALYSIS
Buenos Aires, October 10, 2026. For the Argentine press, the earthquake that struck Panama on Friday, October 9, at 12:56 local time (2:56 pm in Argentina, La Nación specifies) is told primarily through images. La Nación dedicates an article to the videos "captured by citizens and tourists" that have gone viral, showing collapsed buildings, roads cut in two, and falling debris. In Penonomé, in the province of Coclé, a witness filmed from his car exclaims: "The Dos Continentes hotel has fallen. Half of the hotel has fallen."
The media detail the chronology of the measures. Perfil and Ámbito recall that the USGS initially estimated the magnitude at 8.0, then reduced it to 7.6 and finally to 7.7; the epicenter was located about 10 kilometers deep near Pitaloza Arriba, in the province of Herrera, some 240 kilometers from the capital. Ámbito, which still titles with 7.6, specifies that the collapse of the hotel affected the ground floor and the first floor without destroying the entire building, and that the San Juan Bautista cathedral and the provincial government headquarters were also damaged.
The tsunami alert occupies an important place. La Nación lists the affected countries (Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Chile, and Hawaii) and notes that the alert was lifted a few hours later. Ámbito headlines the alert "in 9 countries".
The practical consequences are closely followed. Infobae reports that the temporary closure of Tocumen airport caused seven flights to be diverted to Juan Santamaría, in Costa Rica, where the operator AERIS assures that activity is "totally normal". Perfil mentions preventive evacuations in Panama and the fear of aftershocks.
The most complete report comes from an EFE dispatch reproduced by Infobae: at least 27 minor injuries, around 300 evacuees, and more than 400 affected buildings (142 homes, 188 schools, 20 health facilities, 13 churches, nine bridges), with no fatalities or missing persons according to Sinaproc. The dispatch also indicates that the Panamanian Geosciences Institute reduced the magnitude to 7.5 and that more than a hundred aftershocks have been recorded. The initial reports, however, remained cautious: La Nación wrote that the authorities "did not yet report any victims or material damage".
SOURCES (4)
- La NaciónMEDIUM
- AmbitoMEDIUM
- PerfilMEDIUM
