Crushed cars, destroyed buildings, a trail of destruction across the entire island. Earthquake that shook Vanuatu has already had dozens of aftershocks

US Embassy suffers “significant damage”. Earthquake kills 14

A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Vanuatu on Tuesday, causing a power outage, crushing vehicles and damaging several buildings, with reports of 14 deaths.

A complex in the capital, Port Vila, which houses the diplomatic missions of Western nations including the United States, was one of the buildings damaged.

The earthquake occurred 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of the Pacific island nation’s capital, at a depth of about 57.1 kilometers, shortly after noon, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS ). This was followed by an aftershock of magnitude 5.5.

On Tuesday, there were 14 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater, according to the USGS.

The official number of fatalities was not immediately known, as communications remain poor. But at least 14 people are believed to have died and 200 have been treated for injuries, according to Katie Greenwood, regional director of the Fiji-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescents, citing the government.

China’s ambassador to Vanuatu told state broadcaster CCTV that two Chinese citizens died in the earthquake.

The initial earthquake caused the collapse of buildings and the crushing of cars, with some fearing they would be trapped under the rubble. According to Reuters, landslides occurred near an international maritime terminal in Port Vila, blocking access.

Hours after the earthquake, crowds began to form outside a hospital waiting to be treated, according to the Associated Press, citing images from national broadcaster Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation, whose website had gone offline.

Several social media videos, geotagged by CNN, showed damage to a red and blue building that houses the US embassy and other Western embassies. A portion of the ground floor appears to have partially collapsed, with debris scattered around the US embassy crest and several shattered windows.

“All staff who were at the US Embassy building in Vanuatu are safe and have been accounted for. Although the U.S. Embassy sustained significant damage, all personnel were able to exit the building safely,” the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, said in an update on X.

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to CNN that the building also houses the High Commissioner’s office and the embassies of France and the United Kingdom, stating that it “suffered significant damage”.

Vanuatu has around 330,000 inhabitants across a group of 80 islands.

Greenwood said damage was widespread, including collapsed buildings in central Port Vila and damaged infrastructure in provincial areas. Red Cross volunteers are ready to help affected communities, he said.

“For the Pacific, it’s the worst… I’ve ever seen in terms of earthquake damage,” he told CNN on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Greenwood told CNN’s Rafael Romo that although Vanuatu is a disaster-prone country with a very resilient population, people were shocked by the scale of the earthquake’s damage.

“The current situation on the ground in Vanuatu is very grim. It’s very sad. There is a lot of pain and shock,” he said.

The USGS issues damage forecasts, known as pagers, for strong earthquakes.

The current earthquake has triggered yellow pagers — or a level 2 on a scale of 4 — for both the estimated economic damage and the potential for fatalities, according to the agency, adding that previous yellow alerts “required a response at a local or regional level.” .

“Some casualties and damage are possible, but the impact is expected to be relatively localized,” the USGS said, adding that “estimated economic losses are 1-10% of Vanuatu’s GDP.”

In total, 73,000 people suffered serious shocks. Of these, 36,000 were in Port Vila.

Vanuatu government websites were offline following the earthquake and telephone numbers for the police and other public bodies stopped working, the Associated Press reported. The social media channels of the country’s geological hazards agency and the prime minister’s office have not been updated.

Initial tsunami warnings were later cancelled.

“There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake,” the National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. But he warned that “small fluctuations in sea level may occur in some coastal areas close to the earthquake in the coming hours”.

The United States opened its embassy in Vanuatu in July this year as part of a recent intensification of its diplomatic presence in the Pacific as it competes with China for influence in the strategically vital region.

“The opening of the embassy builds on our efforts to increase diplomatic presence throughout the region and to strengthen collaboration with our Pacific neighbors,” the State Department stated at the time.

Before Vanuatu, the US opened embassies in two other island countries, the Solomon Islands and Tonga.