A strong earthquake shook Panama, followed by large aftershocks.. What do we know so far?

The US Geological Survey said that a strong earthquake with a preliminary intensity of 7.7 on the Richter scale struck southern Panama.

Officials said that a number of people were slightly injured, but so far there have been no reports of deaths or missing persons. According to the civil protection system, structural damage was caused to road houses, hotels, government buildings, commercial establishments and churches.

The US Geological Survey indicated the possibility of casualties and serious damage. Rene Garcia, director of the Emergency Operations Center, told CNN that the earthquake was followed by 147 aftershocks, some of which reached a magnitude of 6.1 or 6.6.

Garcia explained that the authorities are waiting for the tremors to subside before conducting structural examinations of the damaged buildings. The greatest damage was recorded in the province of Cocle, located on the southern coast of the country, although some damage was also observed in the capital, Panama City.

Footage verified by CNN shows several damaged buildings in the city of Penonomi, which is located about 70 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. One of the video clips shows a church with a partially collapsed bell tower, and another building with a dilapidated facade.

In the famous tourist town of Playa Venao, a multi-storey building collapsed and crushed a number of cars that were underneath it.

Along the Panama Canal, the suspension cables of the Centenary Bridge were seen shaking as vehicles passed over it, while the Canal Authority stated that operations were proceeding normally, and that employees were inspecting the facilities to check for any damage.

Panama City's public transportation system suspended service on two metro lines and evacuated passengers from some stations.

Dozens of residents gathered in the streets of the capital after they rushed out of their buildings in panic.

“I'm on the ninth floor here, and yes, the tremor was felt strong,” Panama City resident Kevin Cortez told Reuters. “Everything was moving: the lamp, the chair, the table,” another resident said. “I decided to stay and wait because I realized that going down the stairs was problematic, so I stayed and waited for the tremor to pass, because I had no other choice. Yes, we felt it lasted for a long time. People were running and screaming; people have different reactions to the situation, but now we are here in "down."

The Ministry of Education has canceled classes across the country for the rest of the day.

For its part, the Civil Aviation Authority announced that Panama's main international airport was temporarily closed as a precaution, and flights were diverted to other airports before resuming operations later in the day. The Water and Sanitation Authority also reported interruptions in the work of several water treatment plants, as a result of the power outage resulting from the earthquake.

This is the latest strong earthquake to hit Latin America this year. During the summer, Venezuela was hit by two strong earthquakes that killed more than 6,400 people, while Colombia witnessed an earthquake that killed about 300 people.

Leaders of both countries offered to assist the government of Panama in its response to the disaster.