Earthquake damages over 100 churches in Panama

More than 100 Catholic churches suffered varying degrees of damage following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Panama on October 9, according to a preliminary report from the Conference of the Panamanian Episcopate. The earthquake occurred at 12:56 local time with an epicenter northwest of the Tonosí district in Los Santos province.

The Conference of the Panamanian Episcopate classified two buildings in the Diocese of Santiago de Veraguas as having total damage: the San Isidro Labrador parish in Soná and the Basilica Menor de Jesús Nazareno in the Atalaya district. In the Diocese of Penonomé, the San Juan Bautista parish sustained damage to its bell tower, material detachments, and cracks in the side walls and choir balcony. The San Atanasio church in the Diocese of Chitré lost the top level of its tower.

A statement from SINAPROC reported that 27 people were injured and one person died. The earthquake also damaged more than 9,000 homes, and 3,827 people are in shelters.