Vanuatu earthquake death toll rises to 14, rescue workers continue search

Rescue workers in Vanuatu searched for stranded people on Wednesday after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific nation’s capital Port Vila on Tuesday, killing 14 people and damaging reservoirs, commercial buildings, embassies and a hospital.

At least 200 people were being treated in the capital’s main hospital and other medical centres, a Red Cross official said on Twitter, citing the Vanuatu government.

Katie Greenwood, head of the Pacific delegation to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said: “Rescue operations are continuing to evacuate people trapped after the earthquake, and the focus is on immediate needs such as first aid, shelter and water. ”

Vanuatu police said in a statement that there had been deaths and several injuries, without giving numbers.

This image from a video shows landslides near an international shipping terminal in Port Vila, Vanuatu, after a powerful earthquake on December 17, 2024.

This image from a video shows landslides near an international shipping terminal in Port Vila, Vanuatu, after a powerful earthquake on December 17, 2024.

National broadcaster VBTC showed people standing in queues for fuel and essential commodities on Wednesday morning. Rescue efforts continued at Billabong House, one of the collapsed buildings, where people were trapped under debris.

Footage posted on social media showed vehicles crushed under debris, stones strewn across the highway and landslides near Port Vila’s international shipping terminal.

Basil Leodoro, an emergency physician at health emergency firm Respond Global in Vanuatu, said two buildings – Billabong House and a Chinese store – collapsed, with rescue workers trying to save people.

“So far they have managed to evacuate two casualties,” he said in a social media post, citing police reports.

Concrete pillars supporting a building hosting foreign missions including the American, British, French and New Zealand embassies in the capital collapsed in the powerful earthquake.

Triage tents have been set up outside the hospital in Port Vila to control the influx of patients.

aftershocks overnight

Several aftershocks, including a magnitude 6.1 quake, shook Vanuatu overnight.

Australian Caroline Bird, who manages a resort in Port Vila, told ABC News on Wednesday: “Even just two minutes ago, we had another aftershock… we probably can’t even count how many aftershocks. Came. Lots of shocks throughout the night.” ,

Goods are scattered inside a Port Vila building damaged by the powerful earthquake that struck Vanuatu on December 17, 2024.

Goods are scattered inside a Port Vila building damaged by the powerful earthquake that struck Vanuatu on December 17, 2024.

Acting Prime Minister Charlotte Salwais said a national disaster committee had declared a state of emergency and imposed a seven-day curfew in the worst-hit areas. International assistance has been sought.

Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles said two military aircraft would fly to Vanuatu on Wednesday morning with a medical aid team and a search-and-rescue team.

“This is a very significant event and we are concerned about how it will unfold,” he told ABC radio.

New Zealand said it would send a plane to check whether the plane could land in Vanuatu, where the international airport is closed.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that about a third of the country’s population, 116,000 people, were affected by the earthquake.

Australian Michael Thompson, who runs a zip line adventure business in Vanuatu, said in a post on Facebook that he had been working throughout the night helping people out of the debris.

“Three people have been evacuated alive and one is in very serious condition… There was an incredible display of bravery with people entering confined spaces to perform the rescue,” Thompson said.