A 7.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded off the coast of the island state of Vanuatu, in the Pacific Ocean, causing significant damage, a brief tsunami warning which was later lifted and, according to a witness quoted by Agence France Presse, victims. However, it should be noted that, hours later, there is still little and fragmentary information regarding the number of possible deaths.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 43 kilometers (27 miles) just 30 kilometers west of Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila, according to the US Institute of Geological Studies (USGS).
“The telephone network was down,” said Michael Thompson, a resident who reached the AFP news agency with a satellite phone and sent some images. The witness reported seeing lifeless bodies in the capital, collapsed bridges and landslides. “There were people in buildings downtown, there were bodies when we passed,” he said. The French embassy in Vanuatu has been “destroyed”, but the diplomatic staff is “safe and sound”, announced the French ambassador in a message published on X. France itself has said it is willing to send aid. The US embassy also suffered considerable damage and is closed until further notice. “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,’ the Australian Foreign Minister said in a statement on X. “Vanuatu is a family and we will always be there in times of need,” he added.
What to expect after the earthquake
According to Behzad Fatahi, a civil and seismic engineer at the University of Technology in Sydney, residents should now be wary of aftershocks, which could be just as devastating as the initial earthquake. The earthquake is “expected” to have “caused cracks in masonry walls, unstable foundations and toppling of vulnerable structures,” he explained.
According to images verified by the AFP news agency, the landslides occurred along a steep hill overlooking the international maritime terminal where port buildings do not appear to have been damaged. According to the online monitoring site Flightradar, no more flights have landed in Port Vila since the disaster.
Australian Pacific airlines, such as Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Airways and Fiji Airways, have canceled or diverted flights to Vanuatu. “Due to an earthquake near Port Vila, we are currently evaluating our operations,” Qantas wrote on its website.
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