This Wednesday, December 18, Australia is deploying doctors and rescue teams by military aircraft following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, on Tuesday. The head of the Red Cross in the Pacific, Katie Greenwood, gave an assessment of “14 deaths confirmed and 200 injured treated at the main hospital in Port Vila”citing the local government. According to the Red Cross, emergency services continue to search for survivors in the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Local broadcaster VBTC broadcast footage of vehicles crushed by a collapsing building and said one person was trapped under rubble.
“This is the strongest earthquake I have experienced in 21 years of living in Vanuatu and the Pacific Islands. I have seen many big earthquakes, but never one like this”Dan McGarry, a journalist with the OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project), told Reuters.
Images of the damage broadcast
Images posted on social networks show the damage to a building housing the American, British, French and New Zealand embassies. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Papua New Guinea said its embassy in Port Vila had suffered “considerable damage” and that it was closed until further notice.
Communications were disrupted across the country, the statement said, while the Australian High Commission in Vanuatu said its communications systems were also affected. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers and that half a dozen aftershocks hit Vanuatu after the initial quake.
“There was one that knocked us all off our feet and made us ready to go again. But none of them were as bad as the initial shock”said Dan McGarry. A tsunami warning was issued earlier, before being canceled by the American system which issues these warnings. Authorities in the United States, Australia and New Zealand have declared that there is no threat of a tsunami in their territory.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia is closely monitoring the situation following the “devastating earthquake”. “We stand ready to support Vanuatu as the extent of the damage is assessed. Vanuatu is part of our family and we will always be there in times of need.”she said in a press release.
