At least six dead and extensive damage after powerful earthquake in Vanuatu

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu on Tuesday, killing at least six people according to the UN and causing significant damage in this Pacific archipelago which is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.

The epicenter of the earthquake detected at 12:47 p.m. local time (01:47 GMT) was recorded at a depth of 43 kilometers at sea, thirty kilometers west of the capital of this island nation, according to the United States Geological Survey. United States (USGS), triggering a tsunami warning.

A 5.5 magnitude aftershock occurred a few minutes later, followed by a series of weaker tremors.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported at least six deaths and estimated that 116,000 people could be affected by the consequences of the earthquake.

The hospital in the capital Port Vila was damaged. Tents were set up outside to accommodate the influx of patients, the UN said, adding that there were also significant disruptions in telecommunications and that the two main water tanks had been damaged.

The injured people were taken to Port Vila hospital in trucks. Other injured people were lying on stretchers outside or on chairs, according to images from public television VBTC.

Michael Thompson, a resident contacted by AFP via satellite phone, said he had seen dead bodies in the capital and reported collapsed bridges and landslides. “There were people in the buildings downtown, there were bodies when we passed by,” he said.

The French embassy in Vanuatu was “destroyed” but the diplomatic staff are “safe and sound”, announced the French ambassador in a message posted on X.

The United States embassy “has suffered considerable damage and is closed until further notice,” the American diplomatic mission in Papua New Guinea said on the same network.

France stands “alongside the Vanuatu authorities” and is prepared “to contribute to relief operations” if they request it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday.

“We are closely monitoring the situation in Vanuatu following this afternoon’s devastating earthquake” and “we stand ready to provide support (…) as the extent of the damage is assessed “, said the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs in a statement on X.

Tsunami alert lifted

The earthquake led the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) to issue a tsunami alert, which has since been lifted. “Tsunami waves were observed,” the organization said in a bulletin, after initially fearing the arrival of waves up to a meter high along certain coasts of Vanuatu.

According to Behzad Fatahi, a civil and earthquake engineer at the University of Technology Sydney, residents now need to be alert for aftershocks.

“It is expected” that the earthquake “caused cracks in masonry walls, instability of foundations and the tilting of vulnerable structures,” he explained.

Landslides occurred along a steep hill overlooking the international maritime terminal, according to images verified by AFP. The port buildings do not appear to have been damaged.

Flights canceled or diverted –

According to online tracking site Flightradar, no more flights were landing at Port Vila after the disaster.

Australian Pacific airlines such as Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Airways and Fiji Airways have canceled or diverted flights to Vanuatu.

Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago of 320,000 people that straddles the Pacific seismic Ring of Fire, an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches from Southeast Asia to the Pacific Basin.

Vanuatu is ranked among the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, storm damage, floods and tsunamis, according to the annual Global Risks Report.