A 6.6-magnitude earthquake occurs near the Colombian and Panamanian borders
According to the US Geological Survey, a powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 occurred Wednesday night in the Caribbean Sea near the Panama-Colombia border.
There was no early information on whether there were any damages or casualties in the neighbouring, sparsely inhabited areas.
According to the USGS, the epicentre of the earthquake was located around 25 miles (41 km) northeast of Puerto Obaldia in Panama. The epicentre was six miles (10 km) below the surface. After the first earthquake, almost 10 minutes later, there was an aftershock with a magnitude of 4.9.
The Darien, Panama, Guna Yala, and West Panama Provinces reported feeling the earthquake, according to a tweet from Panama's civil defence organisation. "There is no report of effects," it read. A short while later, it stated that the risk of a tsunami had been ruled out by Panama's National Emergency Operations Centre.
Some areas of the capital of Panama felt the earthquake, but not others. Shaking was also reported by people in the Colombian cities of Cali and Medellin.
The Darien Gap, a sparsely populated stretch of deep rainforest, is located in the affected area and serves as a major land route for migrants travelling north from South America. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have come through.
