A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 17 kilometres west of Rio Grande in Panama’s Veraguas province at 11:20 p.m. UTC on Monday, at a depth of 11 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey’s reviewed solution. The USGS modelled very strong shaking near the epicentre and moderate shaking in Santiago, issued no tsunami statement, and a magnitude 4.9 aftershock followed 16 minutes later. The quake is the latest large aftershock of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit Panama on October 9, which injured at least 27 people and damaged hundreds of buildings, and no casualties from this aftershock had been reported in the initial wire accounts.
Magnitude 6.1 aftershock strikes near Rio Grande, Panama
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 17 kilometres west of Rio Grande, Panama, at 11:20 p.m. UTC on Monday, at a depth of 11 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said, three days after a magnitude 7.7 quake hit the country.
Why it matters: The aftershock keeps Panama's emergency response under strain days into the relief effort from the 7.7 quake, and shallow shaking near populated parts of Veraguas province raises the risk of fresh damage to already weakened buildings.
Data as of Monday night, October 12, 2026. US Geological Survey reviewed solution (magnitude 6.1, depth 11 km, origin 23:20 UTC), opened and read in full via the USGS event record; Anadolu Agency, in Turkish, reported the same 6.1 figure. TASS carried a preliminary 6.4 reading; the reviewed USGS figure governs. Developing item.
Sources
- M6.1 Earthquake: 17 km W of Rio Grande, Panama, Oct 12, 2026 · US Geological Survey event record, via Terremoto · 2026-10-12
- Panama'da 6,1 buyuklugunde deprem (Magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Panama) · Anadolu Agency, in Turkish · 2026-10-13