DOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels recounts the Panama earthquake through its victims: shocked witnesses, collapsed buildings and roads, rescue efforts underway in the center of the country.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Magnitude 7.7 earthquake 10 km from Pitaloza Arriba (Herrera), followed by a 6.6 magnitude aftershock according to the USGS
- 02
Preliminary toll: at least two people injured and trapped in Veraguas, no fatalities reported according to René García, head of the Emergency Operations Center
- 03
Penonomé Cathedral damaged, San Atanasio church collapsed, power outage in six provinces; canal traffic normal
ANALYSIS
Brussels, October 10, 2026. The Belgian press reports on a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred on Friday, October 9, in Panama, at 12:56 local time according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), with an epicenter 10 km from Pitaloza Arriba, in the province of Herrera (central-south). The Libre Belgique, citing an AFP dispatch, reports on the panic in the capital, the collapse of buildings and roads, and a preliminary toll of at least two injured, with no reported deaths.
The French-language account relies on witnesses. Juana Alveo, 38, a cashier in Penonomé, about 130 kilometers from the epicenter, says: "It was horrible, we had never experienced that. My daughter was stuck at school." Luis Poveda, a factory worker in Santiago de Veraguas, says he is in shock and has no news from his family. Teacher Ariel Apolayo describes a shock that felt "stronger, and even stronger," to the point that "cars were swaying." AFP journalists observed several collapsed buildings and a damaged cathedral in Penonomé, as well as damage in the fishing village of Santa Catalina, in the province of Veraguas.
The head of the Emergency Operations Center, René García, indicates that no deaths have been reported "so far" and that two people are trapped under collapsed buildings in Veraguas.
On the Dutch-speaking side, VRT NWS reports that the shock was felt off the southern coast, as far as the capital, and lists the damage: the cathedral and buildings in Penonomé, the historic church of San Atanasio, in the province of Los Santos, which is said to have collapsed, cracks in roads, power outages in six provinces. The capital's international airport suspended its activities before gradually reopening, while traffic through the canal remained normal.
VRT also mentions the 6.6 magnitude aftershock according to the USGS, the dozens of secondary shocks, and the tsunami alert issued for several countries on the west coast of Central and South America. The media outlet places the event on the Pacific Ring of Fire, 40,000 kilometers long, where earthquakes are frequent.
Neither of the two articles reports on a reaction from President Mulino or a definitive toll; the Belgian coverage remains focused on the damage and the people affected.
