Strong Panama quake shakes nation, but avoids major destruction

PANAMA CITY, Panama – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, damaging buildings and sending thousands into the streets, but the country appeared to escape widespread destruction or deaths. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit at a depth of 12.6 kilometers, with an epicenter in a sparsely populated area about 200 km from the capital, and that some casualties were possible. In the following hours, even as more than 40 aftershocks rattled the isthmus nation, the Panama Canal and Cobre Panama copper mine reported normal operations and the Tocumen International Airport lifted a suspension on flights.