Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits Panama, damaging buildings

For context, a massive magnitude 7.7 earthquake has hit Panama, damaging buildings and prompting a wide-ranging tsunami warning for neighbouring countries.

Key points

• Plenty of residents were evacuated from buildings in Panama City, regarding 200km (124 miles) away, according to new agency AFP.
• Regarding 4.6 million residents felt moderate to severe shaking since of the quake, according to the US Geological Survey.
• Footage shared online, which has not been verified by the BBC, appears to show collapsed buildings in the towns of Penonomé and Soná.
• The quake was registered as occurring at a depth of just 12km.
• Nevertheless, the full extent of the damage it has caused is not yet clear, nor whether there have been any casualties consequently.

Regarding 4.6 million residents felt moderate to severe shaking since of the quake, according to the US Geological Survey. It has remarked that the effects of the disaster were "likely to be widespread".

For context, the quake, which hit just before 15: 00 local time (18: 00 GMT), could trigger tsunamis in Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile and Mexico, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.

In practice, the epicentre of the earthquake was regarding 6.2 miles (10km) from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama, with a series of shallow aftershocks after it.

For context, the quake was registered as occurring at a depth of just 12km. The shallower the earthquake, the more probable it is to have more severe effects on the surface.

In practice, the earthquake comes just three days before Panama was scheduled to hold a national evacuation drill for dealing with a major earthquake.

It additionally follows devastating earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela earlier this year.

In short, powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits Panama, damaging buildings is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.