Vanuatu earthquake: US embassy suffers “significant damage” as powerful quake hits Pacific nation

CNN
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A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu on Tuesday, damaging several buildings, including a complex in the capital Port Vila that houses the diplomatic missions of Western nations, including the United States.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the approximately 57.1 kilometer (35.5 mile) deep quake struck the Pacific island nation shortly after noon local time on Tuesday. The magnitude of the 7.3 earthquake was weakened slightly from the initial magnitude reported by the USGS at the time of initial observation.

At least one person was killed, aid organizations said, citing preliminary reports on site and local media.

Several social media videos geolocated by CNN showed damage to the red and blue building that houses the U.S. and other Western embassies. A portion of the ground floor appears to have partially collapsed, debris lies around the U.S. Embassy coat of arms and several windows are broken.

“The US Embassy in Port Vila suffered significant damage and is closed until further notice,” a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, told CNN. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this earthquake, and the U.S. government will work closely with our partners in Vanuatu.”

New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry confirmed to CNN that the building also houses the High Commission’s office and the embassies of France and the United Kingdom, saying it had suffered “significant damage.”

Vanuatu is home to approximately 330,000 people across a group of 80 islands.

Katie Greenwood, a Fiji-based regional director for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said damage was widespread, including collapsed buildings in downtown Port Vila and crippled infrastructure in provincial areas. Red Cross volunteers are ready to help affected communities, she said.

At least one person died in a hospital, she added, citing preliminary information from her team on the scene and local media reports.

“For the Pacific, it’s the worst I’ve ever seen in terms of earthquake damage,” she told CNN.

The US Geological Survey issues damage forecasts, so-called pagers, for strong earthquakes.

The current quake triggered yellow pagers – or a level 2 on a scale of 4 – in terms of both estimated economic damage and fatalities, USGS said, adding that previous yellow alerts “required a response at the local or regional level.”

“Some loss and damage is possible and impacts should be relatively limited,” the USGS warned, adding: “Estimated economic losses are 1-10% of Vanuatu’s GDP.”

In total, 73,000 people suffered severe tremors. 36,000 people who suffered severe tremors lived in Port Vila.

Vanuatu government websites were offline after the quake and phone numbers for police and other public authorities could not be connected, the Associated Press reported. The social media channels of the country’s Geohazards Agency and the Prime Minister’s Office were not updated.

Initial tsunami warnings were later lifted.

“As a result of this earthquake, the threat of a tsunami no longer exists,” the National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. However, it warned that “some coastal areas near the earthquake may experience minor sea level fluctuations in the next few hours.”

The US only opened its Vanuatu embassy in July this year, as part of a recent expansion of its diplomatic presence in the Pacific as it competes with China for influence in the strategically important region.

“The opening of the embassy builds on our efforts to increase diplomatic presence across the region and continue to engage with our Pacific neighbors,” the State Department said at the time.

Before Vanuatu, the US opened embassies in two other island nations, the Solomon Islands and Tonga.

This story has been updated with additional information.