BASSETERRE, St Kitts – As Panamanians begin to pick up the pieces after a pair of powerful earthquakes, attention is turning to the children caught in the damage.
Two quakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.6 on the Richter scale, struck southern Panama on Friday (Oct. 9), collapsing buildings near the epicentre and prompting evacuations across the country. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the larger tremor in the central province of Herrera.
More than 100 aftershocks followed, and officials reported damage in all 10 provinces and two Indigenous territories, though no deaths had been attributed to the quakes.
In Panama City, media reports noted that one water treatment plant was running at 20 percent capacity, and tents with cots went up at six hospitals.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that more than 8,000 children now need humanitarian assistance.
Authorities say 656 schools were damaged, and classes remain suspended. That count has climbed quickly: a preliminary tally the day after the quake put it at 188.
During a press briefing today (Oct. 13) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General told reporters that UNICEF and its partners have scaled up the emergency response by deploying additional personnel and relief supplies, installing emergency tents next to hospitals, assessing water, sanitation, and education needs.
The UN agency is now appealing for $2.5 million to fund the work. The Red Cross Society of Panama has also mobilised staff and volunteers to provide first aid, psychosocial support and needs assessments.
