A local journalist informs Anadolu that there is proof of landslides close to the international shipping terminal.
In the southern Pacific island of Vanuatu, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 destroyed buildings and other infrastructure and claimed at least one life.
Within three hours, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (Geofon) reported four earthquakes in the island nation.
The strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake occurred 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. After then, there were three more earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.4, 5.5, and 5.
According to the USGS, the largest tremor in the South Pacific island nation happened at a depth of 43 kilometers (26.7 miles) at approximately 0147GMT.
Vanuatu was under a tsunami warning, but it was later canceled.
“This earthquake is the worst that my family and I have ever experienced. It’s really violent,” Port Vila-based journalist Dan McGarry told Anadolu on the phone.
“Our real concern is that it may impact our response and recovery (efforts)” he said, referring to the indications of landslides near our international shipping facility.
He stated that some older structures have “pancaked.”
There were many patients receiving treatment, and a triage facility has been established outside Central Hospital, he continued. “Police have confirmed to me one fatality.”
According to the journalist, the earthquake has caused damage to communications infrastructure, interfered with electricity delivery, and caused water supply disruptions in certain locations.
He was utilizing a generator to generate electricity and was using Starlink to connect to the outside world.
When asked how much harm had been done, he said, “It is very early stages.”
Due to its location on the border of many tectonic plates, Vanuatu, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, frequently suffers earthquake activity.
In the meantime, neighboring Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, stated that Canberra was “closely monitoring the situation in Vanuatu.”
“As the extent of the damage is determined, we are prepared to assist Vanuatu. Wong declared, “Vanuatu is family, and we will always be there in times of need.”
Wellington, according to New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, is “deeply concerned about the significant earthquake in Vanuatu, and the damage it has caused.”
According to Peters, the structure that houses New Zealand’s diplomatic office also “sustained significant damage.”
