14 dead and hundreds injured in magnitude 7.3 quake in Vanuatu. Some people are trapped in rubble

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck off Vanuatu killed at least 14 people, injured hundreds more and caused widespread damage across the South Pacific island nation, rescuers and officials said early Wednesday. Rescuers worked through the night trying to reach some people yelling under the rubble.

The earthquake occurred just before 1 p.m. Tuesday at a depth of 57 kilometres (35 miles) and was centred 30 kilometres west of Port Vila, the largest city in Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands home to about 330,000 people. A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake, which was followed by large aftershocks.

The Red Cross reported the death toll of 14 people early Wednesday, citing government sources. Widespread damage to telecommunications and other infrastructure impeded the release of official reports. Phone service remained down.

More than 200 people have been injured, said Katie Greenwood, Fiji-based head of the Red Cross in the Pacific, in a post on X. Vanuatu’s main hospital has been damaged and the water supply has been compromised, she added.

Clement Chipokolo, World Vision’s country director for Vanuatu said Vila Central Hospital was already under strain before the quake and was overwhelmed by the deluge of patients when he visited on Tuesday. “They definitely are not coping,” Chipokolo told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The UN humanitarian office said access to the airport and sea port was “severely limited due to road damage.” Assessments of damage at the airport were due to be undertaken Wednesday.

Some people are trapped

Social media videos showed rescue efforts through the night for people trapped in buildings, including a three-story structure that collapsed onto its lower floors.

Amanda Laithwaite said her husband was among rescuers searching for eight people they could hear yelling inside, but their progress was slow.

Three people were pulled alive from rubble overnight, her husband, Michael Thompson, wrote on Facebook. In one video he shared, a dust-covered woman lay on a gurney. Army personnel and civilians were seen working with tools and shovels.

Embassies are damaged

A building housing a number of diplomatic missions in Port Vila — including those of the United States, Britain, France and New Zealand — was significantly damaged, with a section of the building cleaving off and flattening the first floor. Windows were buckled and walls crumbled.

The U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page said all staff were safe, but the building was closed until further notice. The office opened in July as part of a push by the U.S. to expand its Pacific presence to counter China’s influence in the region.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry said officials have accounted for all but two of its embassy staff. Australia’s foreign ministry said its workers were safe.

Prime Minister speaks

In the first official comments to emerge from the country following widespread telecommunications failures, Prime Minister Charlot Salwai told the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation that a state of emergency was declared and a curfew imposed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in the worst-hit areas.

Only essential services would operate, Salwai said. He urged officials to work to restore water and phone service.

Residents were earlier urged to stay away from coastlines for at least 24 hours, and until tsunami and earthquake monitoring systems were operational again.

All flights grounded

McGarry said a “massive landslide” at the international shipping terminal and damage at the airport was likely to impede recovery in a country dependent on agricultural exports and tourism. Some airlines in Australia and the Pacific said they had cancelled or paused flights scheduled for Wednesday.

A New Zealand military surveillance plane was due to fly above Vanuatu on Wednesday to assess the damage. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country hoped to send aid and equipment later that day when the airport was cleared for use.

“With communications still badly affected as a result of the earthquake, it is going to take some time to work through with Vanuatu what assistance it needs in the days ahead,” Peters said.

Australia was sending two air force transport planes carrying a medical team and a search and rescue team to Vanuatu on Wednesday, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said. France’s military is also mobilizing to help, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu posted on X.

Vanuatu’s position on a subduction zone — where the Indo-Australia tectonic plate moves beneath the Pacific Plate — means earthquakes of greater than magnitude 6 are not uncommon, and the country’s buildings are intended to withstand quake damage. —WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)

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Story by CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY | Associated Press
Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia, contributed to this report.

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