Panama Closes All Schools Monday After 7.7 Quake
DISASTER · PANAMA
Key Facts
- —The country Panama, a dollarised country of more than 4 million people, runs the canal and the Tocumen airport hub, a key link for US flights to Latin America.
- —Why it matters Closing every school is the clearest sign yet that the damage from Friday’s quake reaches well beyond the epicentre on the Azuero peninsula.
- —Why now Aftershocks continued on Saturday, and the first school surveys found damage serious enough to need full rebuilding in some places.
- —What happened The education ministry cancelled classes at all public and private schools for Monday 12 October so engineers can inspect buildings.
- —The numbers Minister Ventura Vega counted 219 damaged schools, 24 needing rebuilding. Civil protection’s preliminary tally lists 419 schools and more than 1,100 homes.
- —What it means for you Families face a school-free Monday. Copa Airlines lets travellers booked for 9 to 14 October rebook or seek refunds.
- —Still open Whether schools reopen on Tuesday, whether the Metro restarts as planned, and how high the final damage count will climb.
Panama schools will stay closed nationwide on Monday 12 October, after Friday’s magnitude 7.7 earthquake damaged hundreds of classrooms. The education ministry (Meduca) said the pause covers every public and private school, so engineers can check buildings before pupils return. For US families, travellers and companies with staff in Panama, it shows that the disruption is now measured in days, not hours.
The order came on Saturday evening, 10 October, a day after the quake struck near the southern tip of the Azuero peninsula. The US Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 7.7; Panamanian officials and local media use 7.5. Aftershocks of 6.6 and 6.0 followed on Friday afternoon and night.
The government had already declared a state of emergency on Saturday and set aside up to US$100 million for relief and repairs. Panama uses the US dollar. Our earlier report, Panama Declares State of Emergency After 7.7 Quake, covers that decision.
Why the Schools Are Closing
Ventura Vega, the education minister in President José Raúl Mulino’s cabinet, said first surveys found 219 damaged schools. Of those, 24 will have to be rebuilt. “There are 24 schools that we are going to have to build new because of the earthquake,” he said, according to Infobae.
Vega stressed that the count is not final. Regional education offices are still sending reports to the national emergency operations centre (COE). The civil protection agency Sinaproc will publish the official figure.
Meduca said the day without classes lets inspectors extend their checks through Monday and then decide building by building. Vega said pupils would be taught “under any circumstances”, and raised temporary classroom modules for schools that cannot reopen soon. The school year is in its final stretch.
The system is large. Vega put it at more than 800,000 pupils and 54,620 teachers. Panama’s main public university, the Universidad de Panamá, said it will teach online on Monday and Tuesday while its own buildings are inspected.
Damage Counts Keep Rising
The tallies differ between agencies and are growing. By 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, the COE counted at least 600 damaged homes, the newspaper La Prensa reported. Sinaproc’s later preliminary report, cited by Infobae, lists more than 1,100 damaged homes and 419 schools.
The province of Los Santos, nearest the epicentre, is the worst hit. There, 182 families with 721 people were affected, along with five hotels, four hospitals and 71 schools. Five communities were cut off by damaged roads, bridges and landslides, and the road between Pedasí and Tonosí remained closed.
In Tonosí, the rural water system was out of service and power was cut. About 300 people were moved from Isla Caña after the sea rose. In Veraguas, 202 homes, nine bridges and 38 schools were damaged, and two shelters in Mariato held about 255 people.
The stabiliser is that the human toll stays low. Authorities report 27 injured, no deaths and nobody missing. Six field hospitals are running and water treatment plants have been restarted. Sinaproc warns that all figures are preliminary.
What It Means for You
Travellers. Tocumen International Airport halts take-offs and landings each time an aftershock is felt, while staff check the runways and terminals. Copa Airlines, the main carrier there, whose parent Copa Holdings is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, warned of long delays and cancellations.
Copa’s waiver covers tickets issued up to 9 October for travel between 9 and 14 October on any route. Passengers can rebook to 31 October with no change fee or fare difference, keep the fare as credit, or ask for a refund, even on non-refundable fares, La Prensa reported.
Residents of Panama City. Metro de Panamá kept Lines 1 and 2 shut on Saturday and ran empty test trains. It said service could resume on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. if the safety checks pass. The two lines carry more than 425,000 passengers a day.
Parents. Families with children in private or international schools should expect Monday off and watch for school notices on Tuesday. The Panama Canal reported minor damage to four office buildings and said ship transits continued normally.
What Is Not Known
The official, consolidated damage count has not been released. Meduca has not said whether Panama schools will reopen on Tuesday 13 October, or which schools will stay shut longer.
It is not clear how long Tocumen’s aftershock pauses will continue, or whether the Metro restart on Sunday went ahead. The cost of rebuilding the 24 schools has not been published. See also US Mobilizes Help After 7.7 Panama Quake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all Panama schools closed on Monday 12 October?
Yes. The education ministry cancelled classes at every public and private school nationwide on Monday 12 October, so engineers can inspect buildings after the earthquake.
How many schools were damaged by the earthquake?
Education Minister Ventura Vega counted 219 damaged schools, 24 of which need rebuilding. Civil protection’s preliminary tally lists 419 schools. Both figures are expected to change.
Can Copa Airlines passengers change their flights?
Yes. Copa allows free changes to 31 October, travel credit or refunds for tickets issued up to 9 October for trips between 9 and 14 October.
Sources: Ministry of Education (Meduca) and Minister Ventura Vega via Infobae and La Prensa; COE tally via La Prensa; Sinaproc and Metro de Panamá via Infobae; Copa Airlines policy via La Prensa and Infobae; Universidad de Panamá via Infobae; Panama Canal Authority via Infobae; US Geological Survey event page.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error