At least 14 dead and hundreds injured after magnitude 7.3 earthquake off Vanuatu
17 December 2024, 19:44
The Red Cross reported the toll early on Wednesday, citing government sources.
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 on 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 1pm at a depth of 57km (35 miles) and was centred 30km 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 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 were “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 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, Mr Thompson said.
The country does not have capacity to cope with a mass casualty event, Vanuatu-based journalist Dan McGarry told The Associated Press.
He had visited Vila Central Hospital, where video shared by the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation showed crowds outside.
Doctors were working “as fast as they could” at a triage centre outside the emergency ward, he said.
