Powerful earthquake off the coast of Vanuatu, a witness reports victims – 17/12/2024 at 09:58

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu on Tuesday, causing significant damage, a brief tsunami alert and, according to a witness, victims, in this Pacific archipelago particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.

A witness told AFP he had seen bodies in buildings in the capital Port Vila and videos on social networks show significant damage to a building housing several diplomatic representations including the French embassy.

The epicenter of this earthquake detected at 12:47 p.m. local time (01:47 GMT) was recorded at a depth of 43 kilometers at sea, just 30 kilometers west of the capital of this island nation, according to the Institute of Geological Studies of the United States (USGS), triggering a tsunami warning.

“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.

“Vanuatu is a family and we will always be there in times of need,” she added.

A resident, Michael Thompson, told AFP that he had seen dead bodies in the capital. He reported collapsed bridges and landslides caused by the earthquake.

“There were people in the buildings downtown, there were bodies when we passed by,” he said.

The United States Embassy in Port Vila “has suffered considerable damage and is closed until further notice,” the American diplomatic mission in Papua New Guinea said in a statement on X. According to the images published online by Mr. Thompson, the earthquake damaged this building, which also houses the French embassy and the New Zealand diplomatic representation.

According to images shared on social media, the earthquake toppled a concrete pillar, cracked a wall and distorted windows in the building.

All embassy staff in Vanuatu are now “safe and registered”, their counterpart in Papua New Guinea announced on Tuesday.

“Although the United States Embassy sustained significant damage, all staff were able to evacuate the building,” she said in a statement posted on social media.

– Tsunami alert lifted –

The floor “no longer exists. It's completely flat. The three upper floors still stand” but have dropped in height, described Mr. Thompson.

“The telephone network has been cut” indicates Michael Thompson, who contacted AFP with a satellite telephone.

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, possibly as devastating as the initial quake.

“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.

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.