The count keeps growing
Three days after the 9 October earthquake, Panama’s official count of damaged homes has gone from 142 to more than 1,280, and damaged schools from 188 to 619. Part of that rise is inspectors reaching more communities, and aftershocks may add some; the sources do not separate the two. Nobody has a final number yet. Most reported damage sits in Azuero, Coclé and Veraguas, far from Panama City’s towers, and the engineers’ society is asking every building to be inspected anyway, says Brax Research.
Panama’s official count of damaged homes rose nine-fold in three days, from 142 to more than 1,280.
Homes reported damaged after the 9 October 2026 earthquake · official counts on 10 and 12 October · Panama
| Count date and source | Homes damaged |
|---|---|
| Oct 10 · first tally | 142 |
| Oct 10 · housing census | 426 |
| Oct 12 · latest balance | 1,280+ |
Source: first tally from the Wikipedia compilation of Sinaproc and La Prensa reports (at least 142 homes, 10 October); housing-ministry census of 426 homes reported by Infobae, 10 October; latest balance of more than 1,280 homes by Infobae/EFE, 12 October. Growth multiple (9.0x) is a Brax calculation. Counts come from different agencies and times and are preliminary.
Image description: three horizontal bars of homes reported damaged. October 10 first tally 142; October 10 housing census 426; October 12 latest balance more than 1,280, highlighted.
What happened
At 12:56 on Friday 9 October a magnitude 7.7 earthquake (USGS; 7.5 per Sinaproc and the University of Panama’s Geosciences Institute) struck the Azuero Peninsula, with its epicentre near Tonosí. The press describes it as the strongest in Panama since 1882. Authorities report no deaths and about 30 minor injuries. The government declared a state of emergency and authorised up to $100 million.
The damage count has grown at each balance. On 12 October authorities counted more than 1,280 homes, 619 schools, more than 60 government buildings, 44 churches, 24 health centres and 11 hotels with some level of damage, concentrated in Coclé, Veraguas and Los Santos. The housing minister said the earlier census of 426 homes could rise as teams reach other communities.
Damaged schools followed the same pattern: 188 on the first balance, 619 on the latest.
Schools reported damaged after the 9 October 2026 earthquake · official counts on 10 and 12 October · Panama
| Count date and source | Schools damaged |
|---|---|
| Oct 10 · second Sinaproc balance | 188 |
| Oct 10 · Education ministry | 419 |
| Oct 12 · latest balance | 619 |
Source: second Sinaproc balance (188 schools) via Infobae, 10 October; education minister’s figure of 419 via Infobae, 10 October; 619 via Infobae/EFE, 12 October. Growth multiple (3.3x) is a Brax calculation.
Image description: three horizontal bars of schools reported damaged. October 10 second Sinaproc balance 188; October 10 Education ministry 419; October 12 latest balance 619, highlighted.
Why it matters: where the damage is, and where nobody has looked yet
Most reported damage is rural: old churches, adobe and block homes, and rural schools on the Azuero Peninsula. Architect Carlos Solís noted that Panama City felt intensity 5, not the 7 of the epicentre area, and the emergency centre reported minor damage in four buildings in Panamá province. The Metro reopened after two days, the Bridge of the Americas and the Centennial Bridge stayed open, and the tourism authority reported no structural damage in the main city hotels. One older ward of the Santo Tomás Hospital in the capital was evacuated, a reminder that age matters more than height.
That does not make an inspection optional. The engineers’ society (SPIA) asks owners and administrators of every building, especially older and high-rise ones, to commission a professional inspection even without visible cracks, under the 2021 structural code. The code has been in force since April 2023; its 2014 predecessor already included the Pedro Miguel and Limón faults studied during the Canal expansion. Solís also argues that Panama lacks a separate construction code governing how buildings are actually built, and that supervision matters as much as design.
What comes next
Scenario, not forecast: if inspections confirm limited structural damage in the capital, the effect on its market is more likely to show up in due diligence, insurance terms and buyer caution than in structure. If inspections find problems in towers built under older codes, expect sellers of those towers to face pointed questions. The triggers to watch are published inspection results from SPIA and the housing ministry, insurer renewals and any change to the building rules. We have no price, sales or insurance data yet, and we will not guess.
Related: What the earthquake means if you are buying property in Panama, Chart of the Week #3: newer, not richer.
Common questions
Was Panama City damaged by the 9 October earthquake?
Officials report minor damage in a few buildings in Panamá province, evacuations and a two-day Metro stoppage, but the heaviest damage is in Azuero, Coclé, Los Santos and Veraguas. Engineers still ask every building to be inspected.
How strong was the earthquake?
USGS measured magnitude 7.7; Sinaproc and the University of Panama’s Geosciences Institute give 7.5. The epicentre was near Tonosí, on the Azuero Peninsula.
Why do the damage counts keep rising?
Inspections are still reaching communities, and aftershocks continue (305 in the first 56 hours). Sources do not say how much of the rise is each.
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