Strong earthquake in Central America sparks Pacific tsunami fears

A large quake has struck the Central American country of Panama, briefly prompting fears of a Pacific tsunami.It hit at 6.56am NZ time in the south of the country, measuring magnitude 7.7 at a depth of 33km. It was initially reported as magnitude 8, downgraded to 7.6 then adjusted to 7.7.The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and GNS Science initially said it was assessing whether the quake had created a tsunami that could affect New Zealand."Based on current information, the initial assessment is that the earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will affect New Zealand," it said about half an hour later.There were no immediate reports of damage in Panama, Reuters reported, with television footage showing people evacuating buildings.There were warnings of potential tsunami across Central America and in Columbia and Ecuador.The quake was felt in the capital, Reuters reported, and in Costa Rica.Aftershocks measuring up to magnitude 5.8 followed soon after.