{"id":18059,"date":"2026-10-17T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=18059"},"modified":"2026-10-16T14:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T19:25:26","slug":"earthquake-triggers-landslide-at-abandoned-remance-mine-in-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/environment-wildlife\/earthquake-triggers-landslide-at-abandoned-remance-mine-in-panama\/","title":{"rendered":"Earthquake Triggers Landslide at Abandoned Remance Mine in Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Panama&#8217;s Environment Ministry confirmed Monday that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/faqs\/what-landslide-and-what-causes-one\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">landslide<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/business-economy\/port-operations-halt-in-4-panama-provinces-following-strong-earthquake\/\" rel=\"internal\">abandoned Remance mine<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/post-earthquake-inspection-teams-reach-remote-veraguas-coastal-communities\/\" rel=\"internal\">Veraguas province<\/a> has raised urgent concerns about potential <strong>earthquake mining damage<\/strong> contaminating local water sources. The slide occurred after a <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/business-economy\/panic-in-panama-earthquake-magnitude-7-5-strikes-near-tonosi\/\" rel=\"internal\">magnitude 6.0 earthquake<\/a> struck the region on Friday, October 9, sending debris from the former gold extraction site into watersheds serving communities below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro said technical teams have been on site since Sunday collecting water samples from streams and springs near San Francisco de la Monta\u00f1a. Those samples are now being analyzed at the ministry&#8217;s laboratory in Los Canelos, Divisa, with results expected within days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1079\" height=\"719\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/illegal-mining-1079x719-1.webp\" alt=\"Illegal mining\" class=\"wp-image-11044\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/illegal-mining-1079x719-1.webp 1079w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/illegal-mining-1079x719-1-150x100.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1079px) 100vw, 1079px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Remance mine operated intermittently for decades before being abandoned without formal environmental remediation. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Water Safety Measures and Community Response<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While laboratory analysis continues, authorities have dispatched a truck carrying bottled water to La Gorda and neighboring communities where residents depend on potentially affected sources for drinking, cooking, and livestock. The precautionary distribution aims to prevent consumption of contaminated water before scientific results confirm the extent of any pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navarro addressed the urgency directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;As soon as we are clear with verifiable scientific information about what the contamination was, we will make it public&#8221; [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minister emphasized that the government will not speculate about contamination levels until laboratory data provides definitive answers. Residents have reported visible sediment and discoloration in streams following the landslide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Terremoto en Panam\u00e1 provoca derrame en antigua mina de oro y contamina fuentes de agua en Veraguas https:\/\/t.co\/xHQJvuS88l https:\/\/t.co\/xp0mGHOWHE<\/p>&mdash; Infobae Centroam\u00e9rica (@InfobaeCam) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/InfobaeCam\/status\/2111168913635422278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Earthquake Mining Damage Exposes Closure Gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Remance mine operated intermittently for decades before being abandoned without formal environmental remediation. Friday&#8217;s earthquake destabilized tailings piles and waste rock, sending material downhill into drainage channels. This incident highlights the structural vulnerability of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Abandoned_mine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">legacy mining sites<\/a> across Panama&#8217;s mineral-rich regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navarro used the emergency to press for stricter enforcement of mine closure regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Mines must be closed in an orderly manner. They cannot be left abandoned because these things happen&#8221; [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His comments signal a potential policy shift toward requiring mining companies to establish environmental trust funds before receiving operating permits. Such funds would finance cleanup and monitoring after operations cease, reducing the burden on state resources when disasters strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/euroclima-2026-2-1200x800-1.webp\" alt=\"Euroclima 2026 2\" class=\"wp-image-12241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/euroclima-2026-2-1200x800-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/euroclima-2026-2-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro said technical teams have been on site since Sunday collecting water samples from streams and springs near San Francisco de la Monta\u00f1a. Miniter Navarro by MiAmbiente PA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Government Response and Next Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miambiente.gob.pa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Environment Ministry<\/a> plans to develop a comprehensive action plan using state resources to contain any contamination and prevent further environmental damage. That plan will depend heavily on laboratory findings and field assessments currently underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navarro also framed the Remance incident as a cautionary example for Panama&#8217;s broader mining governance debates. The country continues to grapple with the legacy of abandoned operations while weighing new mining proposals against environmental risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials expect preliminary water quality results within the coming week. Until then, bottled water distribution continues, and technical teams remain deployed to document the full extent of the <strong>earthquake mining damage<\/strong> and its impact on vulnerable watersheds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d106126.0396496151!2d-81.20535684880544!3d8.697956130098886!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8fae5f00436fe335%3A0xb7386b620d09512b!2sMina%20Remance!5e0!3m2!1ses!2spa!4v1792178697604!5m2!1ses!2spa\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Panama&#8217;s Environment Ministry confirmed Monday that a landslide at the abandoned Remance mine in Veraguas province has raised urgent concerns about potential earthquake mining damage contaminating local water sources. The slide occurred after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the region on Friday, October 9, sending debris from the former gold extraction site into watersheds serving<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,31],"tags":[7526,7258,51,50,7527],"class_list":["post-18059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment-wildlife","category-crime-safety","tag-abandoned-mine","tag-environment","tag-mining","tag-panama","tag-water-contamination"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18059"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18063,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18059\/revisions\/18063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}