A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the border between Colombia and Panama

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The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred about 41 km northeast of Puerto Ubaldia, Panama. Photo: earthquake. usgs.gov

The US Geological Survey said that a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 occurred on the night of May 24 in the Caribbean Sea off the border between Panama and Colombia.

There was no immediate word on whether there were casualties or damage in the nearby, sparsely populated areas.

The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred about 41 km northeast of Puerto Ubaldia, Panama. The epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). This was followed by an aftershock measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale about 10 minutes after the original quake.

Panama’s civil defense agency said via Twitter that the quake was felt in the provinces of Darien, Panama, Guna Yala and western Panama. “There is no report of the effects,” she said. Shortly thereafter, she said, the National Emergency Operations Center in Panama had ruled out the possibility of a tsunami.

People felt the earthquake in some parts of the capital of Panama, but not in others. Residents of the Colombian cities of Medellin and Cali also felt the shaking.

The shaky region is home to the Darien Gap, a sparsely settled area of ​​dense jungle, a major overland route for migrants heading north from South America. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants have passed through in recent years.

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