The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a magnitude 5.5 earthquake in Panama near Las Tablas, Las Tablas District, Provincia de Los Santos, only 8 minutes ago. The earthquake struck in the early evening on Friday, October 9th, 2026, at 6:12 p.m. local time, at a moderately shallow depth of 35 km. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the earthquake may be revised over the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review the data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their reports.A second report was later issued by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), which also listed it as a magnitude 5.5 earthquake.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the earthquake was probably felt by many people in the epicentral area. It should not have caused significant damage, apart from objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.Moderate shaking probably occurred in Pedasi (pop. 1,900), located 20 km from the epicenter.Weak shaking might have been felt in La Palma (pop. 1,100), located 26 km from the epicenter; Tonosi (pop. 1,500), 28 km away; Bella Vista (pop. 1,100), 32 km away; Santo Domingo (pop. 1,800), 33 km away; Las Tablas (pop. 8,900), 35 km away; Guarare (pop. 3,200), 41 km away; and Los Santos (pop. 6,000), 58 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update the magnitude and depth if they change and follow up if other significant news about the earthquake becomes available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more firsthand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this earthquake.Earthquake data: Date & time: Oct 9, 2026 11:12 p.m. (Universal Time) local time (9 Oct 2026 23:12 GMT)Magnitude: 5.5Hypocenter depth: 35.00 kmEpicenter coordinates: 7.44°N / 80.21°W (Provincia de Los Santos, Panama)Primary data source: EMSC