Rescuers in Vanuatu’s capital of Port Vila are racing to retrieve people trapped under collapsed buildings as witnesses spoke of their escape from the powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the Pacific nation on Tuesday, killing 14 and injuring 200 others.
At least 200 people are being treated for injuries at the capital’s main hospital and other medical centres with 14 confirmed deaths so far, a Red Cross official said on X, citing the Vanuatu government.
Of the 14 confirmed deaths, six people had died in landslides, four in the collapsed Billabong building and four at Vila Central hospital, the national disaster management office said in a report.
Two Chinese nationals were among those killed, the Chinese ambassador, Li Minggang, told state media on Wednesday.
Images from Port Vila show significant damage to parts of the capital, with some buildings flattened or collapsed on top of vehicles. The country’s caretaker prime minister, Charlot Salwai, has declared a seven-day state of emergency.
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Glen Craig, the chair of the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council, said at least one person had been pulled from the rubble on Wednesday morning, while rescuers were communicating with others that remained trapped.
“They have confirmed one this morning and there is another two or three that are there and were in good spirits and know they can get out,” he told the Guardian.
Emergency requests for more search and rescue personnel, machinery, and engineers to check buildings and bridges had been sent to the governments of New Zealand and Australia, Craig said.
Craig was in the tallest building in Port Vila at the time of the first quake. “It was generational. It was awful. You normally hear things like a train coming and then you get five or six seconds,” he said.
“I was with my wife and we looked at each other as it hit us and we ran, struggled to get to the door, got outside, and we had a bit of an issue getting down the stairs. It threw us down there more than us getting down there. I don’t know how the building didn’t come down on us,” he said.
“It really was very aggressive. We were just looking at each other like ‘Oh my God.’ If it had gone on another 10 seconds or been another point 1 or 2 bigger, I wouldn’t be talking to you today.”
Ivan Oswald, who has lived in Port Vila for more than two decades, said the quake was terrifying for his family.
“I was at my house, which is pretty much in town,” he said, “My kids were there having a play date with other kids. So they were quite scared and traumatised … They were still having issues this morning.”
Footage from Oswald’s waterside Nambawan cafe showed the moment the earthquake hit, with its force throwing people to the ground, and causing heavy furniture to sway violently.
Teams such as ProMedical, an emergency services NGO, had been working around the clock and were exhausted, while unconfirmed reports from the hospital indicated a rising death toll, he said.
“It’s really sad,” he said, “It’s not looking pretty on the ground.”
Port Vila resident Michael Thompson told AFP by satellite phone that several people have called out from beneath the remains of a flattened three-storey shop in the capital.
“There’s tonnes and tonnes of rubble on top of them. And two rather significant concrete beams that have pancaked down,” he said. “Obviously they are lucky to be in a bit of a void.”
About 80 people including police, medics, trained rescuers and volunteers used excavators, jackhammers, grinders and concrete saws, “just everything we can get our hands on”, he said.
Earthquakes are not uncommon in Vanuatu, an archipelagic nation that is home to about 330,000 people, but Tuesday’s quake was the strongest felt in decades.
One building particularly affected contained the UK, French and New Zealand high commissions, and the US embassy, which was located on the ground floor and was “pancaked”, Craig said, adding that he was not aware of any fatalities from the building.
Occurring at lunchtime, many embassy staff had been outside the building, he said.
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The quake was followed by at least one aftershock later on Tuesday, and another measuring 5.5 on Wednesday morning. Power and communications remained down on Wednesday, while the airport was also closed.
Katie Greenwood, who heads the Pacific delegation at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said: “Rescue ops continue to free those trapped after the quake, and attention turns to urgent needs like first aid, shelter, and water.”
Parts of the capital appeared normal, said Craig, who was able to communicate using his Starlink satellite internet connection and solar power, although long lines had formed at petrol stations.
“The majority of Port Vila is fine,” he said, “You know something is unusual by the number of people queuing for petrol. Queuing for petrol in Port Vila is the equivalent of an Australian queuing for toilet paper during covid.”
Australia said on Wednesday that $2m in immediate aid sent in response to a request from Vanuatu’s government would arrive later in the day, and included a 64-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and two sniffer dogs. Medical and police teams have also been deployed via a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Hercules.
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles said: “Australia stands ready to assist the Vanuatu government as required in this critical time. Australia’s connection with the government and people of Vanuatu is strong and we will continue to work with them in this time of need.”
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware of a number of Australians in the affected region and was providing consular assistance to those in need.
New Zealand deputy prime minister Winston Peters said on Wednesday that the country was on standby to provide medical, defence and humanitarian assistance to Vanuatu.
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“A New Zealand military surveillance plane is due to fly above Vanuatu this morning, to help assess the damage caused by the earthquake,” Peters said. “We are also offering to send an urban search and rescue team and relief supplies to Vanuatu later today, once the airport in Port Vila has reopened.”
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The disaster has also occurred at a moment of political turmoil in the Melanesian country. Salwai dissolved parliament last month, setting the stage for a snap election on 14 January, only for opposition MPs to mount a constitutional challenge to his move.
Salwai has issued a state of emergency for seven days, and instituted a curfew – except for essential services – from 6pm to 6am.
On Wednesday, Craig said he hoped the beleaguered Pacific nation could have a speedy recovery, with power and communications expected to be restored later in the day, and the airport to reopen by Friday.
“Vanuatu, poor old thing, can’t catch a break at the moment. We had covid, then we had Vanuatu go broke, then three cyclones last year, and we were just looking forward to a bumper tourism season and then this happened,” he said. “So we are really trying to get past it as soon as we can.”
- With agencies
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