DOMINANT ANGLE
Manila is gauging the Panamanian earthquake by its impact on infrastructure and trade: power outages, airport closed, canal spared, losses estimated by the USGS at up to 10% of GDP.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to GMA News, the USGS estimates economic losses at 1% to 10% of Panama's GDP.
- 02
The Panama Canal, approximately 203 km from the epicenter, was operating normally, with around 90 ships waiting at both ends (GMA News, LSEG data).
- 03
Naturgy reports a power outage in six provinces and Tocumen Airport has suspended its flights (GMA News).
ANALYSIS
Manille, October 10, 2026. The Philippine press reports on the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Panama on Friday, October 9, and first notes its material and economic consequences.
GMA News headlines an earthquake that "damages buildings, disrupts electricity and air traffic." According to the USGS, the shock occurred at a depth of 12.6 km and victims were possible. More than a dozen aftershocks followed. The newspaper quotes Ricardo Brown, 74, in the province of Herrera: "We are afraid. We are only two old people here. The house cracked, and we fear it will fall on us."
The economic aspect takes center stage. The Panama Canal, about 203 km from the epicenter, was operating normally, GMA News specifies. About 90 ships, bulk carriers, tankers, and container ships, were waiting at both ends to transit or dock, according to LSEG data. The USGS estimates that economic losses could represent 1% to 10% of Panama's GDP. Supplier Naturgy reports a power outage in six provinces, and Tocumen International Airport, a regional hub, suspended its flights.
The scientific explanation is brief. Nestor Luque, director of the Panama Institute of Geosciences, attributes the earthquake to the Azuero Sona fault system, which had been accumulating long-term stress: "an active fault system that, from time to time, releases this amount of energy." GMA recalls that major earthquakes are rare in the country.
The Inquirer, which reprints agency dispatches, describes from Penonomé buildings and roads collapsed in the center of the country, with no immediate victim toll. According to the National Civil Protection System, the shock, which was not very deep, lasted about one minute and was felt in this country of approximately 4.5 million inhabitants. In Panama, about 200 km from the epicenter, residents evacuated skyscrapers in panic.
Another Inquirer dispatch locates the epicenter about 10 km southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, in the province of Herrera, at a depth of 10 km. The USGS had initially announced a magnitude of 8, revised to 7.6 and then to 7.7. The earthquake was also felt in neighboring Colombia.
