The mayor of Los Pozos, Panama, spoke after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake: hundreds of homes collapsed and five townships were affected

The magnitude-7.7 earthquake caused widespread structural damage in Los Pozos, one of Panama’s poorest municipalities. Five of its nine corregimientos were affected. The damage mattered because residents needed urgent assistance, while authorities still had to determine the full scale of destruction and check for possible victims.

Mayor Omar Bultrón reported that hundreds of homes collapsed. Schools and churches also suffered damage, and church towers reportedly fell. The San Pedro parish, an old stone building and important local church, was destroyed by about 70%. Landslides made several main roads harder to use, complicating access to some communities.

Residents were seen in the streets asking for help after their homes were damaged. Local authorities continued visiting affected areas to assess conditions and look for anyone among the rubble. Bultrón asked Panama’s national government for urgent assistance, while difficult access delayed a complete assessment.

A 7.7 magnitude describes the earthquake’s size at its source. It indicates a very large release of seismic energy and can produce severe damage, especially near the epicenter where buildings and roads may be less able to withstand strong shaking. The article identifies the Panama earthquake as magnitude 7.7.

Magnitude is calculated from measurements recorded by seismometers, which detect the earthquake’s waves. Modern reporting generally uses moment magnitude, a scale based on the fault’s size, the amount of movement, and the rocks’ strength. Because the scale is logarithmic, each whole-number increase represents a much larger event, not a small step.

Magnitude differs from intensity. Magnitude stays essentially the same for the earthquake, while intensity describes how strongly people feel shaking and how much damage occurs at particular locations. The reported destruction in Los Pozos reflects local effects, including collapsed homes, damaged churches and blocked roads.

The clearest measure of the affected area is administrative: five of the nine corregimientos within the district of Los Pozos suffered damage. The article presents Los Pozos as the earthquake’s epicentral district and describes impacts across several communities, rather than giving a precise area in square kilometres.

The reported housing damage was extensive. Mayor Omar Bultrón said that “cientos y cientos” of houses collapsed, meaning hundreds and hundreds of homes. The article does not provide a verified numerical count. It also mentions damaged schools, churches and roads, with some communities harder to reach because of landslides.

The figures show why the response required more than a quick inspection. Local authorities were still touring affected areas to build a fuller balance of damage. They also had to check whether anyone was trapped among the rubble. The number of affected corregimientos and the broad housing losses pointed to a large, difficult assessment.

The earthquake made roads difficult to use because the shaking triggered landslides along principal routes. This mattered beyond transportation. When roads are blocked, emergency teams may struggle to reach damaged homes, deliver aid or check whether people are trapped beneath rubble.

Mayor Omar Bultrón said several communities faced difficulties because of landslides. He also explained that some corregimientos were already hard to access. Local authorities therefore had to travel through affected areas to inspect homes, schools and churches while facing obstacles on the routes.

Restricted access could make both rescue and assessment slower and less complete. Teams might reach the easiest locations first while isolated communities wait longer for help. The article states that officials continued their tours to establish a fuller account of the damage and verify whether victims were present among collapsed houses. It does not report a confirmed number of trapped or injured people.

The mayor’s role was to report conditions, describe urgent needs and press the national government for assistance. Omar Bultrón said the district faced collapsed homes, damaged public and religious buildings, blocked roads and residents seeking help. His statements also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the full damage assessment.

Local authorities were responsible for visiting affected zones, inspecting buildings and roads, and checking whether people might be trapped among the rubble. They had to work across five affected corregimientos, including communities made harder to reach by landslides. Their tours were intended to establish a more complete balance of losses.

The national government’s role, as presented in the article, was to provide urgent help requested by the mayor. The article does not detail a specific national response or relief program. It does show why national support mattered: Los Pozos was described as one of Panama’s poorest municipalities, and residents needed assistance after widespread housing damage.

Strong earthquakes push buildings sideways and up and down. Older structures may be especially vulnerable when they were built without modern earthquake-resistant design, have weakened materials or lack strong connections between walls and roofs. Heavy stone and masonry can also impose large forces on walls during shaking.

The article gives a clear local example. San Pedro parish was an old stone building considered one of Los Pozos’ main churches. Mayor Omar Bultrón said the earthquake destroyed nearly 70% of the church, including its structure and roofing. Church towers also reportedly collapsed in many places.

Homes and schools can face similar risks when construction is old, poorly maintained or not designed for strong seismic movement. The article reports damage to both types of buildings but does not explain their construction or condition. Officials therefore needed to inspect each site carefully, while residents with damaged homes sought help and some remained outside.

Tectonic plates are large pieces of Earth’s outer shell that move slowly. Their edges can press together, pull apart or slide past one another. Friction may hold rocks in place while stress builds. When the stress exceeds the rocks’ strength, the rocks suddenly slip along a fault and release stored energy as an earthquake.

That released energy travels outward as seismic waves. The waves make the ground move, sometimes strongly enough to damage buildings, roads and other structures. The earthquake described in the article was reported as magnitude 7.7, and its shaking affected homes, schools, churches and roads in Los Pozos.

The source article reports the damage but does not identify the specific fault or plate movement behind this event. Local authorities were still examining the consequences when the report was published. Their work included visiting five affected corregimientos, checking collapsed houses and assessing communities made harder to reach by landslides.