Patricia Zuccala was with her 10-year-old daughter at a hotel buffet on the last day of their vacation in Panama when last Friday’s devastating earthquakes struck the Central American country.
All of a sudden, the Montreal woman says the ground was shaking violently, sending statues and decorations crashing to the ground.
“Everybody tried to make a beeline for the exit, but unfortunately, [my daughter] was almost trampled. There were people trying to jump on top of her and push her through the door. At that point I made the executive decision to grab her, and we dove under a table and covered our heads,” she told CTV News in a video interview on Saturday.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that, and I was more afraid for my daughter’s life.”
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Damage was reported in all of Panama’s 10 provinces and two territories after the 7.7- and 6.6-magnitude earthquakes on Friday, which toppled buildings near the epicentre and prompted evacuations. Seismologists recorded more than 100 aftershocks, including ones measuring magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2.
Dozens of people were inured but no deaths were reported. The government of Panama declared a state of emergency on Saturday.
After reaching outside the hotel after the tremors, Zuccala said she saw large cracks in her hotel building in Río Hato, a coastal city about two hours southwest of Panama City.
“Many people got injured from things falling. People were bleeding all on their legs. For example, somebody tried to protect a family from a falling object and really scraped his arm as well. There was damage everywhere,” she said.
Canadians trying to get home
She said she was lucky that she and her daughter weren’t physically injured, but has been stranded with other Canadian travellers for two days with no clear indication yet when she can fly back home.
Zuccala said she has been getting conflicting information from her travel provider, Sunwing, over the weekend about when she can fly home. For example, she said WestJet mistakenly sent her an email that her flight was redirected to Cancun, Mexico, and then being told there were no flights available.
She also did not hear back from the Canadian government on Saturday after contacting the embassy in Panama City and registering as a Canadian abroad. In the meantime, she said Sunwing has covered her hotel accommodation for the past two nights, but she and her daughter are anxious to get home.
“It’s been very, very emotionally difficult. My daughter continues to feel the ground shake around her, even when it’s not. There have been hundreds of aftershocks, though, so I understand why she feels that way. Some aftershocks have been almost as strong as the original earthquake, so the trauma has been significant for both of us,” Zuccala said.
“It would be nice to feel like … the Canadian government was working with the agencies to help Canadians get out of this. This was a truly scary, devastating, traumatizing event that all of these families have gone through, and we feel very abandoned.”
Flight scheduled pending airport’s ‘operational status’
When reached by CTV News, Sunwing said Sunday afternoon that she will be booked on a flight to Montreal on Monday “pending operational status of the airport.”
“We appreciate how frustrating and uncertain this situation is for our guests in Panama,” the company said in an email. “WestJet added flight WS4245 to return guests to Montreal who were unable to depart on Friday as planned. While guests were en route to the airport, local authorities extended the airport closure due to aftershocks, resulting in the flight’s cancellation.”
Global Affairs said in an email that it could not comment on her case due to privacy concerns. The department said it is aware of the situation and is providing consular assistance to Canadians.
“Canadians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at any time by calling +1 613-996-8885, or 1-800-387-3124 (toll-free from the U.S. and Canada), by text message at +1 613-686-3658, via WhatsApp at +1 613-909-8881, via Signal at +1-613-909-8087 or by e-mail at sos@international.gc.ca,” a spoksperson said.
“Canadian travellers should sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service and follow @TravelGoC on social media to get the latest updates.”
With files from The Associated Press
