A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck Panama, damaging buildings and roads and injuring at least 27 people, with no fatalities reported so far.

The shallow tremor, which struck on Friday, was felt across the Central American country of about 4.5 million people, according to the National Civil Protection System.

The head of emergency operations, Rene Garcia, told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that there had been no reports of deaths as of Friday.

In Panama City, about 200 kilometres from the epicentre, residents reportedly panicked and rushed to evacuate some of the city's iconic skyscrapers.

“I was scared because the shaking was very strong and prolonged,” Salomon Andion, 46, told AFP after evacuating his 15-storey building for the second time following aftershocks.

He said heavy household items, including dressers, beds and kitchen utensils, shook violently during the tremor.

A video widely circulated on social media showed water cascading from the rooftop swimming pool of a building more than 20 storeys tall.

Another video showed a bridge over the Panama Canal shaking violently while remaining upright as vehicles continued to cross it.

“We are facing a major disaster,” President Jose Raul Mulino said, adding that some roads had “completely collapsed”.

Juana Alveo, a 38-year-old cashier in Penonome, the capital of Cocle province, described the experience as terrifying.

“It was horrible, like nothing we ever experienced. My daughter was trapped in school,” she told AFP.

The National Civil Protection System said at least 27 people sustained minor injuries across the country.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck at 12:56 p.m. local time, with its epicentre located about 10 kilometres from Pitaloza Arriba, a small town in Herrera province.

The USGS initially measured the earthquake at magnitude 8.0 before revising the figure down to 7.7.

A tsunami warning was issued for parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean but was later lifted.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that he was closely monitoring the situation, adding that his office was mobilising resources and personnel to assist the Panamanian government at its request.

Meanwhile, the Panama Canal Authority said shipping operations through the canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, remained unaffected and were continuing normally.

President Mulino travelled to Penonome to coordinate the emergency response.

Health Minister Fernando Boyd identified Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos as the worst-affected provinces, adding that the town of Tonosi in Los Santos had been completely cut off.

“We are trying to figure out how to get there by air, because it’s impossible by land,” Boyd said.

Panama City's international airport, a major regional aviation hub, was temporarily closed, forcing several flights to divert to other airports as a precaution, according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority.

The leaders of Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala expressed solidarity with Panama and offered assistance.

Benjamin Gonzalez, 52, said he was working on a farm near La Miel when the earthquake struck. Upon returning home, he found several houses devastated and residents gathered in a town square without electricity.

His neighbour, David Castillo, told AFP that many residents were reluctant to return to their homes because they feared another earthquake.

Earthquakes are relatively uncommon in Panama compared with other parts of the region and are more frequently recorded in the western province of Chiriqui, which borders Costa Rica.

Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli shared photographs on Instagram showing his house in Sona, Veraguas province, after it collapsed.

A church and a hotel in Penonome also reportedly sustained extensive damage, according to images shared by local media.

The country's geosciences institute recorded more than 80 aftershocks, including one measuring above magnitude 6.0.

President Mulino warned against spreading panic and disorder and called for a report on the extent of the damage.

The Ministry of Education subsequently announced the suspension of classes in schools nationwide.

The earthquake is among several powerful tremors to strike Latin America this year, following earthquakes in Venezuela's La Guaira region in June and western Colombia in August, according to the report.