Sydney, Australia, Dec 17 (EFE).- A “violent” magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck the South Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, collapsing buildings and causing landslides around the capital Port Vila.
The United States Geological Survey, which records seismic activity around the world, said the quake occurred at 12.47 pm local time (01:47 GMT) at a depth of 57.1 kilometers, about 30 km out to sea west of Port Vila. It registered several aftershocks ranging from M4.7-5.5.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center put the depth at 10 km and said the original tsunami threat had passed.
“The earthquake was extremely violent. I just had time to take my son by the arm to get him out of the garage, while trying to catch my wife. I didn’t succeed because we fell to the ground,” Stéphane Rivier told EFE from Port Vila, sharing images of the impact on his property, “90 percent” damaged, he estimated.
Information on casualties and wider damage is currently difficult to assess as global independent cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks reported “a near-total loss of internet connectivity” across Vanuatu, and the government’s websites and social media pages have so far not been updated.
Dan McGarry, a journalist living in Port Vila, reported on X via a Starlink connection that police had confirmed to him at least one fatality, and that he saw three people “seriously injured.”
“This is a mass casualty event,” he said, adding that it was the biggest earthquake he’d experienced in more than 20 years.
McGarry also posted drone footage of landslides blocking a coastal road near the international shipping terminal.
Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation published videos of shattered glass storefronts, downed powerlines, crushed vehicles, pancaked multi-level buildings, piles of rubble, cracked roads, landslides, and people milling about on streets.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement that the country’s “High Commission building, which is co-located with the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, has sustained significant damage.”
A spokesperson for the US Embassy also said the building had “sustained considerable damage and is closed until further notice.”
Peters added that people should “be prepared for aftershocks. We are also aware there are communication outages in Vanuatu at present.”
The Republic of Vanuatu, with a population of around 330,000, is made up of an archipelago of volcanic origin. EFE
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