‘It was a terrible thing’: Panama declares state of emergency as quake aftershocks rattle communities

Panama's government declared a state of emergency Saturday following two powerful earthquakes that struck Friday and triggered more than 100 aftershocks across the country.

The initial quakes measured 7.7 and 6.6 magnitude. Aftershocks reached as high as magnitude-5.8 and continued for hours after the main events. The Guardian reports that officials recorded no deaths from the quakes, though they documented damage across all 10 of Panama's provinces and two Indigenous territories.

The earthquakes toppled buildings and prompted evacuations in multiple areas. The state of emergency declaration came one day after the initial seismic events as communities dealt with ongoing aftershocks rattling the region.