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A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu on Tuesday, triggering a series of alerts from the US Tsunami Warning System.
At least one person is dead, police confirmed.
The earthquake’s epicentre was 30km west of the capital Port Vila and at a depth of 57.1km, according to the US Geological Survey.
The earthquake caused damage to a building housing several foreign embassies, including the US, British, French, and New Zealand missions, Reuters reported. Videos and pictures of the damage caused to buildings in Port Vila were starting to emerge.
“The US Embassy Port Moresby is aware of the recent earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The US Embassy in Port Vila has sustained considerable damage and is closed until further notice,” the US embassy said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this earthquake and the US government will work closely with our partners in Vanuatu.”
Vanuatu state broadcaster VBTC aired footage of vehicles crushed by a building collapse on a retail-lined street. The broadcaster reported one person trapped in the rubble.
A number of small tsunami waves measuring 25cm were observed at Port Vila, according to the New Zealand Herald, but the US warnings were later lifted.
New Zealand’s authorities, including the National Emergency Management Agency and GNS Science (Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences), said that there was no perceived threat of a tsunami to New Zealand.
“Based on current information, the initial assessment is that the earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to New Zealand,” they said.
The ministry of foreign trade and affairs said that “there are 37 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Vanuatu” and advised New Zealanders to follow the advice of authorities.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology also said that there was no threat to Australia from the earthquake, which was followed by a number of smaller aftershocks, one of which was recorded at magnitude 5.5.
“It was the most violent earthquake I’ve experienced in my 21 years living in Vanuatu and in the Pacific Islands. I’ve seen a lot of large earthquakes, never one like this,” Dan McGarry, a journalist with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project based in Vanuatu, told Reuters.
The earthquake struck an area where the Australia and Pacific tectonic plates meet, one of the most seismically active regions in the world.
Nonetheless, earthquakes as large as Tuesday’s are relatively rare. “In the century leading up to the 17 December 2024 earthquake, there were 24 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or larger within 250 km of this interface,” the US Geological Survey said.
The largest recorded earthquake in the region was of magnitude 7.9 in December 1950, about 86km southwest of Port Vila.
USGS data showed that Vanuatu was hit by six aftershocks following the initial quake.
Source: independent.co.uk
