6.6 earthquake hits the border between Panama and Colombia

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A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck Darien Bay near the border of Panama and Colombia late Wednesday, May 24 at 10:05 p.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The Reuters news agency quoted the US Geological Survey as saying that the earthquake was felt in both countries.

A second earthquake strikes

Nine minutes after the first earthquake occurred in the area, another quake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale struck the same location. The USGS reported aftershocks of the second quake.

Several follow-up earthquakes of magnitude less than 4 have been reported since last night.

As reported by the USGS, the epicenter was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the coast of the eastern city of Puerto Ubaldia in Panama and both quakes struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles).

There are no immediate reports of damage

Panama’s national civil protection agency, Cinaproec, said no immediate property damage was reported and it was still monitoring the situation. Officials from the Colombian city of Medellin said the quake did not cause any damage. However, social media users have reported the earthquake saying that it caused strong shaking on both sides of the border.

The last recorded strong earthquake in Panama was in 1962 when a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the region.

Sinaproc reported that the quake was felt in the capital of Panama and the adjacent region in western Panama. Strong tremors caused by the quake were also felt in the Caribbean region of Guna Yala.

There is no possibility of a tsunami

Authorities in Colombia and the United States have ruled out the possibility of a tsunami, with the United States Tsunami Warning System specifically saying there is no tsunami warning at this time.

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The USGS was the first seismological agency to report on it. A second report was later issued by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

(with input from agencies)

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