A 22-year-old woman remains in intensive care at Santo Tomás Hospital in Panama City after suffering a severe earthquake injury in Panama when a wall collapsed on her during Friday’s 7.5 magnitude tremor. Suribeth Cortez underwent head surgery on Saturday and is intubated with cerebral edema, according to her aunt Ana, who spoke with reporters Monday morning.
The quake struck October 9, destroying the home in Pájaro de Macaracas, Los Santos province, where Cortez was visiting her mother. Family members said Cortez has difficulty walking, which prevented her from escaping when the structure began to fail. Her mother had been helping an elderly relative when the wall fell on Cortez, trapping her beneath rubble.
Rescue and Emergency Response After Earthquake Injury Panama
Neighbors and Cortez’s mother used wooden poles and whatever tools were available to pull her from the debris. She was first taken to Macaracas Hospital, then transferred to Las Tablas Hospital, where doctors gave the family a discouraging prognosis. Her condition required air transport to Panama City for specialized neurosurgical care.
Health Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo confirmed Cortez sustained a cranioencephalic trauma and a closed abdominal injury.
“She had to be operated on to examine her because her hemoglobin was dropping. Then she stabilized, she is stable, she is recovering, so we hope everything turns out well. She is in intensive care” [Translated from Spanish]
Family Faces Multiple Medical Crises
The earthquake also injured Ana’s mother, an elderly woman with a disability who uses a wheelchair after a prior leg amputation. During the chaos, she fell from her chair and a beam struck her left arm, causing fractures. She underwent an initial procedure at Las Tablas Hospital and was being prepared for another surgery at Ciudad de la Salud medical complex.
“My mother is stable for now” [Translated from Spanish]
Ana said. But her primary concern remains Cortez, who responds to medication yet has not regained full consciousness. The family waits for updates as doctors monitor the brain swelling.
Regional Damage Assessment and Recovery Efforts
The National Civil Protection System reported 27 people injured across the country with no fatalities. The quake damaged 188 schools and numerous homes in the Azuero Peninsula region. Emergency crews continue assessing structural integrity in affected communities while hospitals coordinate care for the most critical patients.
Cortez’s case highlights the particular vulnerability of residents with mobility limitations during seismic events. Emergency management officials have reiterated calls for families to establish evacuation plans that account for disabled or elderly household members. The coming days will determine whether Cortez’s condition improves as doctors work to reduce intracranial pressure.