DOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad is weighing the Panamanian earthquake in terms of its impact on trade: the canal and Tocumen airport are more important than the damage in the central provinces.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the USGS, as cited by Geo News, economic losses could reach 1% to 10% of Panama's GDP.
- 02
The Panama Canal and the Cobre Panama mine have reported normal operations, and Tocumen Airport has lifted its flight suspension (ARY News, according to Reuters).
- 03
Approximately 43,000 people lived in areas with at least severe exposure, compared to nearly 1.4 million during the Venezuelan earthquakes in June (ARY News).
ANALYSIS
Islamabad, October 10, 2026. Almost all Pakistani media outlets are reporting the same story: a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, October 9, at a depth of approximately 12.6 km, according to the USGS, but the country "seems to have escaped" widespread destruction. ARY News, citing Reuters, reports on an earthquake that shook the nation "without major destruction," and notes that over 40 aftershocks have followed.
The commercial aspect takes center stage. According to ARY, the Panama Canal and the Cobre Panama copper mine have reported normal operations, and Tocumen International Airport has lifted its flight suspension. Geo News specifies that the canal, approximately 203 km from the epicenter, is functioning normally, with around 40 ships waiting at each end, according to LSEG data, totaling around 90. The media also cites the USGS, which estimates possible economic losses between 1% and 10% of Panama's GDP.
The human toll is treated in a more subdued manner. Geo News and Business Recorder report the testimony of Ricardo Brown, 74, in Las Minas (Herrera province): "The house cracked, and we're afraid it will collapse on us." Business Recorder mentions the collapse of a historic building's tower in Penonomé, fallen balconies, two suspended metro lines in Panama, and the closure of schools decided by the Ministry of Education. Geo adds a power outage in six provinces, according to supplier Naturgy.
The scientific explanation comes from the director of the geosciences institute, Nestor Luque: the Azuero-Sona active fault system accumulates stress and "occasionally releases this amount of energy." Business Recorder notes that earthquakes of this magnitude are rare in Panama.
The regional comparison also structures ARY's narrative: the twin earthquakes in Venezuela in June killed several thousand people, and the one in Colombia in August killed over 300. The USGS estimates that 43,000 Panamanians were exposed to at least a severe shock, compared to nearly 1.4 million in Venezuela.
In contrast, Daily Times wrote an earlier brief focused on the tsunami alert: the American system targeted Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and part of Mexico, with an alert for Hawaii, and at the time reported "no immediate reports of casualties or damage." None of the four provided texts report the final human toll or mention a Pakistani reaction.
SOURCES (4)
- ARY NewsMEDIUM
- Daily TimesMEDIUM
- Business RecorderMEDIUM
