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In this image released by Vanuatu Red Cross Society, its volunteers assist staff with the clean up at Vila Central Hospital in Port Vila, Vanuatu, December 18, 2024, following a powerful earthquake that struck just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean
VANUATU’S capital was without water today, a day after reservoirs were destroyed by a violent magnitude 7.3 earthquake that wrought havoc on the South Pacific island nation, with the number of people killed and injured expected to rise.
The government’s disaster management office said early today that 14 deaths were confirmed, but hours later said nine had been verified by the main hospital.
The number was “expected to increase” as people remained trapped in fallen buildings, a spokesperson said. About 200 people have been treated for injuries.
Two of those killed were Chinese nationals, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, which cited Gu Zihua, an official at the Chinese embassy in Vanuatu.
Frantic rescue efforts that began at flattened buildings after the quake hit early Tuesday afternoon continued 30 hours later, with dozens working in dust and heat with little water to seek those yelling for help inside.
A few more survivors were extracted from the rubble of down town buildings in Port Vila, also the country’s largest city, while others remained trapped and some were found dead.
A near-total telecommunications collapse meant people struggled to confirm their relatives’ safety. Some providers began to re-establish phone service, but connections were patchy.
Internet service had not been restored because the submarine cable supplying it was damaged, the operator said.
The earthquake hit at a depth of 35 miles and was centred 19 miles west of the capital of Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands home to about 330,000 people.
A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake, but dozens of large aftershocks continued to rattle the country.
The Asia-Pacific head of the International Federation of Red Cross, Katie Greenwood, speaking from Fiji, said it was not clear how many people were still missing or killed.
“We have anecdotal information coming from people at the search-and-rescue site that are fairly confident that unfortunately those numbers will rise,” she said.
Clement Chipokolo, Vanuatu country director at the Christian relief agency World Vision, said healthcare services, already strained before the quake, were overwhelmed.
