Damage to infrastructure after earthquake in Vanuatu.
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake caused the collapse of bridges, landslides and multiple damages to buildings. Warning for tsunami waves.
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck this Tuesday off the coast of Vanuatuin the Pacific, according to , at 12:47 (01:47 in Lisbon).
The tremor occurred at a depth of 57 kilometers, near Porto Vila, the capital of the island nation, and was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock in the same location.
CCTV footage of 7.4 Earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu
December 17, 2024— Disasters Daily (@DisastersAndI)
The USGS warned of the possibility of tsunami waves in some coastal areas of the group of 80 islands, where around 330 thousand people live.
The disaster has already caused collapse of bridges, landslides and multiple damages to buildings. A witness reported the existence of dead in the streetin Porto Vila.
Massive landslides near our international shipping terminal. A lot of digging out ahead. This is going to impact our ability to respond.
— Dan McGarry (@VanuatuDan)
US closes embassy
The building housing the French and United States embassies collapsed, local resident Michael Thompson told France-Presse news agency after posting images of the damage on social media.
7.3 earthquake has hit Vanuatu, an island east of Australia.
In this video is the American Embassy. It collapsed with people inside.
The island has suffered massive damage.
Pray for the victims and their families.
🙏🏼
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl)
The United States closed the embassy “until further notice” after the earthquake caused “considerable damage” in the building.
“The United States embassy in Porto Vila suffered considerable damage and is closed until further notice,” wrote the diplomatic mission in Papua New Guinea, in a message posted on the social network X.
In the same note, the embassy advised US citizens in Vanuatu to contact the US diplomatic representation in Papua New Guinea “if they require assistance”.
The Government of Vanuatu’s online portals were also affected following the earthquake.
Islands are in the dangerous Pacific Ring of Fire
The earthquakes are in Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands where around 300,000 people live and which is located in the so-called zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity which extends from Southeast Asia to the Pacific basin.
The famous area is an arc of fault lines in the Pacific Basin with more than 400 volcanoesof which at least 129 remain active. The region records around seven thousand earthquakes per year, the vast majority of which are moderate. In this case, on the Richter Scale, the earthquake that hit Vanuatu is considered grandeahead of “strong” and just behind the descriptions “important”, “exceptional” and “extreme”.
Vanuatu is ranked among the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, storms, floods and tsunamis, according to the annual Global Risks Report.
