// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits Panama, damaging buildings
A maternity ward in Panama City was among the buildings evacuated during the tremors
A massive magnitude 7.7 earthquake has hit Panama, damaging buildings and causing widespread shaking.
About 4.6 million people felt moderate to severe tremors as a result of the quake, according to the US Geological Survey, which has said that the effects of the quake were "likely to be widespread".
It struck just before 15:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Friday, with an epicentre about 6.2 miles (10km) from the town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama.
Footage shared online appears to show collapsed buildings in the towns of Penonomé and Soná, including one of a man calling out to anyone trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building. No casualties have so far been reported.
Verified footage shows one side of a cathedral in Penonomé collapsed due to the shaking, as well as one of its spires.
Another video showed a local hotel had almost completely collapsed.
Ricardo Brown, who lives in the southern Herrera province, told news agency Reuters that the earthquake had damaged several homes in his neighbourhood of Las Minas.
"We're scared. It's just the two of us old folks here. The house has cracked and we're afraid it could fall on us," the 74-year-old said.
The full extent of the damage it has caused is not yet clear, though several large aftershocks were also reported near the initial earthquake, potentially complicating the situation on the surface.