The earthquake in Panama has reopened questions about building safety, the current seismic code, and construction oversight. Experts explain what needs improvement.

In April 2016, Mashiki Town in Kumamoto Prefecture was struck twice by tremors measuring a seismic intensity of 7.Following this, a national committee investigated 1,955 wooden buildings one by one in the center of Mashiki Town,

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Panama, prompting President Jose Raul Mulino to declare a major disaster. Roads and buildings collapsed, flights were diverted and more than 80 aftershocks were recorded,

The imperative for such innovation in that field is massive. For instance, despite lasting only 20 seconds, the 1995 earthquake that struck Kobe, Japan destroyed 100,000 buildings, and the 2011 earthquake/tsunami that smashed Tōhoku, Japan killed more than 15,000 people and forced 130,000 to abandon their homes temporarily or permanently.

By Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY, Oct 9 (Reuters) - A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near the southern coast of Panama on Friday at a 12.6-km (7.8 miles) depth, according to the US Geological Survey, damaging some buildings but without affecting the critical Panama Canal trade waterway.

A tsunami alert has been issued for nine countries following the magnitude 8 earthquake.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked Panama on Friday, unleashing panic in the high-rise capital city and causing buildings to collapse in the center of the country but produced no immediate reports of casualties.