A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Panama on Sunday near the border with Costa Rica, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake struck at a depth of 37 kilometres in the far west of the country and the closest town was Santa Cruz, about five kilometres (km) away, it said.

There was no tsunami alert issued from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

In November 2017, a 6.5-magnitude quake on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica left buildings swaying in the capital San Jose and contributed to the deaths of two people who had heart attacks.

Further north, two months earlier in September 2017, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake killed more than 300 people in Mexico.

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