Panama declares emergency after 7.7 quake causes widespread damage and 27 injuries
Panama declared a state of emergency on Saturday following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake and a 6.6-magnitude aftershock that struck on Friday. While no deaths were reported, the tremors caused significant damage across all 10 provinces and two Indigenous territories, resulting in 27 injuries. The US government pledged $5 million in aid and deployed rescue teams, while local officials attributed the lack of fatalities to strict building codes.