Canadians stranded in Panama after quakes close airport

A Montreal mother and her 10-year-old daughter are among a group of Canadian travellers stranded in Panama after two powerful earthquakes struck the country on Oct. 9, closing the airport and leaving them with no confirmed way home, CTV News reported Sunday.

Patricia Zuccala told CTV News she was at a hotel buffet in the coastal city of Río Hato, about two hours southwest of Panama City, on the last day of the family’s vacation when the shaking began. She said people rushed for the exits and her daughter nearly got trampled before she pulled the girl under a table.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that, and I was more afraid for my daughter’s life,” Zuccala said. She said neither of them was physically hurt, but she photographed large cracks in the hotel building and said many people were injured by falling objects.

Zuccala said they had been stuck for two days with other Canadians and had no clear departure date. She said she contacted the Canadian embassy in Panama City and registered with the federal Registration of Canadians Abroad service, but had not heard back from the government as of Saturday. “We feel very abandoned,” she said.

Global Affairs Canada told CTV News it could not comment on her case because of privacy concerns. The department said it is aware of the situation and is providing consular assistance to Canadians.

The travel disruption is the new development since Canada News Media first reported on the quake on Oct. 10, when it could not confirm whether any Canadians were affected. Panama declared a state of emergency on Saturday as strong aftershocks continued, The Associated Press reported, and residents of rural communities spent the day outdoors.

Zuccala said her travel provider, Sunwing, gave her conflicting information. She said WestJet mistakenly emailed her that her flight had been redirected to Cancun, then told her no flights were available. Sunwing has paid for the family’s hotel for two nights, she said.

On Sunday afternoon, Sunwing told CTV News she would be booked on a flight to Montreal on Monday, pending the airport’s operational status. The airline said it had added WestJet flight WS4245 to bring guests home. That flight was cancelled after passengers were already on their way to the airport, Sunwing said, because local authorities extended the airport closure due to aftershocks.

The account rests largely on one traveller and statements the companies gave to a single news organization. Canada News Media has not independently confirmed how many Canadians remain in Panama, and it is not clear whether other airports in the country are operating. Zuccala’s account of her contacts with the embassy has not been confirmed by Global Affairs Canada.

The first earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey rated magnitude 7.7, injured dozens of people and damaged roads and buildings in central Panama. No deaths had been reported as of Saturday, according to the reports available to Canada News Media, though officials have said the figures could change as rescuers reach cut-off communities.

Canadians in Panama who need emergency help can contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at +1 613-996-8885, toll-free from Canada and the U.S. at 1-800-387-3124, by text at +1 613-686-3658, or by email at [email protected]. Global Affairs Canada also advises travellers to register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service and to follow @TravelGoC on social media for updates.

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Via CTV News (original report), with additional reporting from The Associated Press. This is a developing story and will be updated. See our earlier report: Magnitude 7.7 quake hits Panama, injuring at least 27.