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.
“There were bodies when we passed by”
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 alert. A resident, Michael Thompson, told AFP that he had seen lifeless 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 declared.
The United States Embassy in Port Vila “has suffered considerable damage and is closed until further notice”also indicated the American diplomatic mission in Papua New Guinea in a press release on X. According to 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.
Tsunami alert lifted
The floor “no longer exists. It’s completely flat. The three upper floors still stand” but dropped in height, Mr. Thompson described. “The telephone network has been cut” says Michael Thompson, who contacted AFP with a satellite phone.
The earthquake led the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) to issue a tsunami alert, which has since been lifted. “Tsunami waves have been observed”the organization said in a bulletin, after initially fearing the arrival of waves up to one meter high along certain coasts of 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.
