A powerful earthquake, measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, rocked Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, on Tuesday. The tremor caused significant damage to buildings and vehicles, with at least one fatality reported. Local broadcaster VBTC aired distressing footage of cars crushed beneath collapsed buildings on a busy street lined with shops.
According to Dan McGarry, a journalist with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project based in Vanuatu, authorities confirmed one death and several injuries, with the wounded being transported to local hospitals. McGarry described the earthquake as the most intense he had experienced in his 21 years of living in the Pacific Islands.
Landslides triggered by the quake blocked the road connecting Port Vila to the international shipping terminal, further disrupting transportation and relief efforts. There are many Social media posts showing the scenes of shattered windows and collapsed concrete pillars in a building housing foreign embassies, including those of the United States, Britain, France, and New Zealand.