The Institute of Geosciences at the University of Panama urged the public to stop spreading misinformation about earthquakes in Panama and to avoid sharing fake news, conspiracy theories, or alleged alerts that lack scientific backing.
The institution expressed its concern about the circulation of content related to the country’s seismic activity, published by accounts that lack scientific backing. The official account for reporting on these phenomena is @igcpanamaup.
Following the earthquake that struck Panama on October 9, 2026, a wave of misinformation rapidly spread across social media, compounding public anxiety. Researchers from the International Center for Political and Social Studies (CIEPS) Disinformation Observatory noted that a lack of immediate technical answers allowed false narratives to fill the information void. Fact-checkers identified several viral videos falsely claiming to show immediate destruction in Panama that actually documented past disasters in other countries
In a public statement, the Geosciences Institute urged citizens to verify sources before sharing information about earthquakes and potential seismic threats. “Conspiracy theories only feed the imagination of people who don’t know how real science works”, the organization warned.
The Institute of Geosciences also clarified how the Seismological Network of the University of Panama works. This network is not an early warning system, but a seismic monitoring tool whose function is to locate and measure events recorded in the national territory. Staff is not available 24 hours a day due to budgetary constraints and employees only work during regular office hours. The reports that appear 24 hours a day are generated by an automated system. However, when a small earthquake occurs, the system may not publish it immediately, as the event is pending manual review by specialized personnel. Updating reports is also affected by long weekends with no staff available.
The institution reiterated its call to consult official and scientific sources to learn about seismic activity in Panama and to avoid giving credence to unsubstantiated publications that could generate unnecessary alarm among the population.
Audio transcript
Your browser does not support the audio element.
00:00
/
02:26
