A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Vanuatu on Tuesday. It caused at least 14 deaths according to the Red Cross and significant damage, in this Pacific archipelago particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
The epicenter of the earthquake was recorded at 12:47 pm local time (02:47 am in Switzerland) at a depth of 43 kilometers at sea, thirty kilometers west of the capital of this island nation, according to the Institute for Geological Studies of the United States (USGS), issuing a tsunami warning.
A magnitude 5.5 aftershock occurred a few minutes later, followed by a series of weaker tremors. Katie Greenwood, head of the Red Cross in the Pacific, wrote on
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs previously reported at least six deaths and estimated that the consequences of the earthquake could affect 116,000 people.
The hospital in the capital Port Vila was damaged. Tents were set up outside to accommodate the influx of patients, the United Nations said, adding that there was also significant disruption to telecommunications and damage to the two main water tanks.
The injured were taken to Port Vila hospital in trucks. Other injured people were lying on stretchers outside or on chairs, according to images from public television VBTC.
The tsunami alert was raised
As a result of the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami warning, which has since been lifted. “The waves of the Tsunami have been contained,” the organization said in a bulletin, after initially worrying that waves up to a meter high would come along some of Vanuatu’s coasts.
According to Behzad Fatahi, a civil and earthquake engineer at the University of Technology Sydney, residents now need to be wary of aftershocks. “It is expected” that the earthquake “caused cracks in the masonry walls, instability of foundations and tilting of fragile structures,” he explained.
Landslides occurred along a steep hill above the international maritime terminal, according to images verified by AFP. The port buildings do not appear to have been damaged.
Canceled or diverted flights
According to the online tracking site Flightradar, no more flights landed at Port Vila after the disaster. Australian Pacific airlines such as Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Airways and Fiji Airways have canceled or postponed flights to Vanuatu.