Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- A magnitude 7.3 earthquake in Vanuatu killed 14 and injured hundreds.
- Rescue efforts continue amid damaged infrastructure, with communication and transportation severely affected.
- International aid is being prepared, while residents are advised to avoid coastlines.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — At least 14 people are dead and hundreds more are injured after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Vanuatu on Tuesday, causing widespread damage across the South Pacific island nation. Rescuers worked through the night trying to reach some people yelling under the rubble.
The Red Cross reported the toll early Wednesday, citing government sources. Widespread damage to communications and other infrastructure has impeded the release of official reports. Phone service remained down.
The earthquake occurred just before 1 p.m. at a depth of 35 miles and was centered about 18 miles west of Port Vila, the largest city in Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands home to about 330,000 people. A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake, which was followed by large aftershocks.
More than 200 people have been injured, said Katie Greenwood, Fiji-based head of the Red Cross in the Pacific, in a post on the social media platform X. Vanuatu's main hospital has been damaged and the water supply has been compromised, she added.
The UN humanitarian office said access to the airport and sea port was "severely limited due to road damage," which could affect efforts to deliver aid.
Residents were urged to stay away from coastlines for at least 24 hours, and until tsunami and earthquake monitoring systems were operational again.
Social media videos showed rescue efforts through the night for people trapped in buildings, including a three-story structure that collapsed onto its lower floors.
Amanda Laithwaite said her husband was among rescuers searching for eight people they could hear yelling inside, but their progress was slow.
Three people were pulled alive from the rubble overnight, her husband, Michael Thompson, wrote on Facebook. In one video he shared, a dust-covered woman lay on a gurney. Army personnel and civilians worked with tools and shovels, Thompson said.
The country does not have the capacity to cope with a mass casualty event, Vanuatu-based journalist Dan McGarry told the Associated Press. He had visited Vila Central Hospital, where a video shared by the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation showed crowds outside.
Doctors were working "as fast as they could" at a triage center outside the emergency ward, he said.
A building housing a number of diplomatic missions in Port Vila — including those of the United States, Britain, France and New Zealand — was significantly damaged.
The U.S. Embassy's Facebook page said all staff were safe, but the building was closed until further notice. The office opened in July as part of a push by the U.S. to expand its Pacific presence to counter China's influence in the region.
New Zealand's foreign ministry said officials have accounted for all but two of its embassy staff. Australia's foreign ministry said its workers were safe.
McGarry said a "massive landslide" at the international shipping terminal was likely to impede recovery. The airport's runway is also damaged, he said.
Some airlines in Australia and the Pacific said they had canceled or paused flights scheduled for Wednesday and were awaiting news of the airport's status.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on X her government was "preparing to deploy immediate assistance to Vanuatu from tomorrow, including urban search and rescue and emergency medical teams."
Vanuatu's position on a subduction zone — where the Indo-Australia tectonic plate moves beneath the Pacific Plate — means earthquakes of greater than magnitude 6 are not uncommon, and the country's buildings are intended to withstand quake damage.
