RNZ Pacific
A large 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila , shortly after 3pm NZT today.
The US Geological Survey says the quake was recorded at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles).
Locals have been sharing footage of serious damage to infrastructure in Port Vila.
According to one post on Vanuatu Dialogue Live Facebook group, the building which is occupied by diplomatic embassies has suffered significant damage.
There are also reports of people trapped under buildings that have collapsed from the shake.
Buildings collapsed in Port Vila, Vanuatu after strong 7.4 earthquake.
Rescuers trying to reach trapped people. #earthquake #Vanuatu #terremoto #sismo pic.twitter.com/UCbRiW6bLb— Disasters Daily (@DisastersAndI) December 17, 2024
Tsunami waves
The US Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawai’i said tsunami waves had been observed and were forecast for some coasts.
It expected tsunami waves reaching one meter to be possible for some coasts of Vanuatu.
The tsunami was expected to reach the Anatom Island and Esperitu Santo in Vanuatu.
Fiji, Kermadic Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna faced a forecast for tsunami waves less than 30 cm high.
It said the coastal regions of Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI should refer to Pacific Tsunami Warning Center messages.
Massive earthquake in Port Vila just now.
— Dan McGarry (@VanuatuDan) December 17, 2024
Massive landslides near our international shipping terminal. A lot of digging out ahead. This is going to impact our ability to respond. pic.twitter.com/dpgyK8tcpf
— Dan McGarry (@VanuatuDan) December 17, 2024
Video by Dan McGarry.
One News reports that the NZ High Commission building “sustained significant damage”.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had been in contact with the country’s High Commissioner Nicci Simmonds in Port Vila.
“Our High Commission building, which is co-located with the United States, the French and the United Kingdom, has sustained significant damage.
Footage posted to X shows damage to the High Commission building in Port Villa.
7.4 Earthquake damage in Vanuatu.
December 17, 2024 #earthquake #sismo #terremoto pic.twitter.com/8n6z0QEaQe— Disasters Daily (@DisastersAndI) December 17, 2024
“We are in the process of contacting our staff to check they are safe.”
Forty five New Zealanders were registered on SafeTravel as being in Vanuatu. The ministry said it expected there would be more who were not registered.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ with additional information from Vanuatu journalist Dan McGarry’s news feed.
