A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hits Vanuatu, killing one person, by Reuters

Written by Alasdair Ball and Kirsty Needham

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, on Tuesday, damaging buildings and cars and killing at least one person.

Vanuatu’s state broadcaster showed footage of vehicles crushed in a building collapse on a street lined with retailers. The radio reported that one person was trapped in a collapsed building.

Other footage posted on social media showed twisted windows and collapsed concrete columns in a building hosting foreign missions in the capital, including the embassies of the United States, Britain, France and New Zealand.

A spokesman for the US Embassy in Papua New Guinea said its embassy in Port Vila suffered “severe damage” and was closed until further notice.

A New Zealand Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that the New Zealand High Commission building, which is co-located with the American, French and British missions, “suffered significant damage.”

The New Zealand statement added that communications were cut across the country, while the Australian High Commission in Vanuatu said its communications systems were also affected.

Police reported that at least one person was killed and those injured were taken to hospital, Dan McGarry, a journalist with the Vanuatu-based Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, said in a post on X.

“I saw three seriously injured people on stretchers waiting for treatment,” he said.

“There is significant damage throughout the city. We have a building that collapsed,” McGarry told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in an interview.

He added that the road linking Port Vila to its main port was closed due to landslides.

Reuters could not immediately confirm casualty figures, and authorities in Vanuatu could not be reached for comment.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

The US Tsunami Warning System canceled an initial tsunami warning for Vanuatu.

Authorities in the United States, Australia and New Zealand said there was no threat of a tsunami on their territories.