IPACOOP launches relief efforts following Panama earthquake

Following a seismic event on Friday, October 9, the Instituto Panameño Autónomo Cooperativo (IPACOOP) has launched humanitarian relief efforts to assist those affected in Panama's central provinces and the Azuero region.

Executive Director Erika Vargas de González reported that donations including bottled water, dry food, bedding kits, and personal hygiene items are being distributed to residents and cooperativists in Herrera, Los Santos, Veraguas, and Coclé. Specific aid efforts include the reconstruction of homes for families in the El Cocal and Nuevo México communities, supported by the cooperative COOPASEM, R. L. through the provision of construction materials and machinery.

The earthquake also caused structural damage to several IPACOOP provincial offices, including fallen walls and deep cracks. As a precaution against ongoing aftershocks, some affected offices have been temporarily closed pending safety evaluations by security authorities.