Buildings flattened as 7.3 magnitude earthquake hits Vanuatu

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck near Vanuatu's capital Port Vila, triggering landslides, crushing cars and flattening multiple buildings, including a complex that is home to multiple western embassies.

There are unconfirmed reports of deaths but the full extent of the damage remains unclear, as power and mobile networks across the country remain cut off.

Dan McGarry, a journalist living in Port Vila, said hospital authorities had told him at least one person had died. He had seen "several people who were visibly, seriously injured" outside the emergency unit.

Vanuatu is prone to earthquakes, but Mr McGarry told the BBC the quake had felt like "the biggest one... in more than 20 years".

The quake struck at 12:47 local time (01:47 GMT) on Tuesday.

"Emergency services are going to be busy for a while. We have limited equipment and capabilities here", Mr McGarry said, adding that police at the Vila Central Hospital had told him one person had died, and the death toll was expected to rise.

One of the clips from state broadcaster VBTC's Facebook page showed dozens of people outside the Vila Central Hospital, many lying on hospital gurneys awaiting treatment.

Michael Thompson, director of the Vanuatu Jungle Zipline adventure company, told AFP news agency that he had seen bodies lying in the streets.

"There's multiple buildings that have come down around town. There's a big rescue operation on the way to clear out people who are possibly alive in the building," Mr Thompson said, in a separate video posted to Facebook.

"I thought the ceiling [of our house] was going to come right down", Mr Thompson's wife Amanda told the BBC.

"We often have earthquakes here but not like this. The house has giant cracks all through it, sliding glass doors are smashed.

"We are feeling a lot of after shakes now, each one nervously makes us as we run out the door to open air," she said.

However Mr McGarry added that the latest disaster was something the people of Vanuatu would "get through".

"People in Vanuatu deal with natural disasters on a yearly basis. It's in our blood. We'll get through this as well, although not without some suffering," he said.

Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago of some 80 islands in the South Pacific, is located west of Fiji and thousands of kilometres east of northern Australia.

The nation sits in a seismically active area, and is susceptible to frequent large earthquakes and other natural disasters.

The earthquake has crushed cars and flattened multiple buildings

Western embassies among those damaged

The United States Embassy, the British High Commission, the French Embassy and the New Zealand High Commission were among damaged buildings housed in the same complex.

US officials said the building sustained "considerable damage" and would be closed until further notice. All staff in the building had safely evacuated, they added.

Separately, several Australian airlines have also cancelled flights into Port Vila, citing damage at the airport.

Australian carrier Jetstar, subsidiary of Qantas, cancelled a flight scheduled for Wednesday morning from Sydney to Port Vila, citing "earthquake activity in Vanuatu and reports of possible damage to Port Vila airport infrastructure".

The United States Embassy was among the damaged buildings

The United States Geological Survey reported at least four aftershocks around Port Vila - with magnitudes ranging from 4.7 to 5.5 - in the two hours after the first earthquake. The first quake hit at a depth of 10km (6.2mi).

Authorities in neighbouring New Zealand and Australia said there was no tsunami threat for their countries.

Australia also said it "stands ready to support Vanuatu as the extent of the damage is assessed".

"Vanuatu is family and we will always be there in times of need," Foreign Minister Penny Wong wrote on X.

New Zealand said it is "deeply concerned" and was monitoring the situation. "Our thoughts are with the people and authorities of Vanuatu," said Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

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