A powerful 7.3 scale earthquake has struck near Vanuatu’s money Port Vila, damaging structures and other facilities.
The quake happened at 12: 47 local time ( 01: 47 GMT ) at a depth of 10km, according to the United States Geological Survey ( USGS).
Although it quickly caused a storm warning for some of the Pacific island nation, officials confirmed that the threat had passed as of 14:14 nearby time.
The number of deaths is mysterious. Images on social media show fell structures, cars struck by shattered panels, and furniture scattered across the interior of homes.
According to photos that have been posted online, the US consulate in Port Vila is one of the broken structures.
Michael Thompson, the chairman of the Vanuatu Jungle Zipline experience company, claimed that the area’s communications were “really uneven” and that he had set up a Starlink network close to his house so that the general public may access the internet.
” There’s several houses that have come down around town. In a video posted to Facebook, he stated that there is a significant recovery activity on the way to remove people who might be still inside the building.
” Most of the connections have vanished.”
In the two periods following the initial disaster, USGS reported at least four waves ranging in magnitudes from 4.7 to 5.5 in the Port Vila area.
Officials in the nations that neighbor New Zealand and Australia claim that their nations were unaffected by the storm.