A resident of the capital told AFP he saw lifeless bodies in Port Vila. He also reported that bridges had collapsed. There is currently no official information on injuries or deaths.
Surveillance system affected by power outage
Government phone lines and websites are currently unavailable. Hours after the quake, the Department of Meteorology and Geohazards said on its Facebook page that its monitoring systems were offline due to power outages.
Residents were asked to stay off the coast for at least 24 hours until tsunami and earthquake monitoring systems are back in place.
Videos and photos published on the Internet show badly damaged buildings and vehicles in the capital Port Vila. There, the building housing the embassies of the US, New Zealand, France and Great Britain “suffered significant damage,” the US Embassy and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister wrote on Platform X.
The tsunami warning was lifted
Videos of landslides near Port Vila harbor were also shared on social media. Neighboring countries Australia and New Zealand offered support to the Vanuatu government. The region was hit by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake. Tsunami warnings have been lifted for Vanuatu, New Zealand and Australia.
The South Sea state of Vanuatu consists of approximately 80 islands and is located almost 1,800 kilometers east of Australia. Vanuatu is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone in the world.
Thorsten Iffland, ARD Tokyo, tagesschau, December 17, 2024 5:16 am