a magnitude 7.3 earthquake off the coast of Vanuatu

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred on Tuesday, December 17, off the coast of Vanuatu, in the Pacific, announced the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter of the earthquake (initially measured at 7.4 magnitude) was recorded at a depth of 43 kilometers, but only thirty kilometers west of the island nation's capital, Port Vila. located more than 600 kilometers northeast of New Caledonia.

“Tsunami waves were observed”the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported in a bulletin. This organization finally lifted its tsunami alert shortly after. Low waves were also feared in Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

The earthquake damaged the building housing the American and French embassies in Port Vila, according to videos posted online and verified by Agence France-Presse. A concrete pillar was toppled, a wall was cracked and windows in the building were deformed. The complex also houses the diplomatic representations of other countries, including New Zealand, again according to images shared on social networks.

A country very vulnerable to natural disasters

The United States, through its embassy in Papua New Guinea, announced it would close “until further notice” their embassy due to damage to the building, announced. “The embassy in Port Vila has suffered considerable damage and is closed until further notice”reported the diplomatic mission in a statement published on X, advising American nationals present in Vanuatu to contact the United States embassy in Papua New Guinea in the event of “need assistance”.

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