Panama declares state of emergency after powerful earthquake

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks have hit Panama, causing fear and evacuations across the country.

A very strong earthquake hit Panama today. It measured 7.7 on the scale used to track how powerful these tremors are. This is a very big shake. Because of the quake and many aftershocks—which are the smaller shakes that happen after the main one—the government has declared a state of emergency. This is a formal step that lets them move quickly to help people and keep them safe. The shaking happened in different parts of the country. Many people had to leave their homes and buildings to get to safer ground. There was also an alert for a possible tsunami, which is a giant wave caused by an u…