UPDATED
The government of Vanuatu has declared a 7-day State of Emergency after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake rattled the capital Port Vila and surrounding areas on Tuesday (December 17).
It caused extensive infrastructure damage to buildings and roads, leaving at least nine people dead and around 200 injured while severely restricting access to drinking water, power and fuel.
Most telecommunication and internet services are down.
But many essential services had been at least partially restored by Thursday (December 19) with many shops open for business.
Major roads have been reopened.
There’s been confusion over the official death toll with casualty numbers changing up and down over the past three days.
The latest number of confirmed deaths on Friday was 14..
No Australians have been reported among the casualties so far.
Residents report dozens of aftershocks of up to 6.1 magnitude.
The tremors triggered a series of landslides across the islands, claiming several lives.
After a three-storey shop collapsed in Port Vila, around 80 rescuers using excavators, jackhammers, grinders and concrete saws managed to save some of those trapped in the rubble.
A multi-storey building housing the high commissions of New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the US and French embassies partially caved in.
It’s believed all those inside managed to get out of the ruins.
The US embassy has been closed.
France said its embassy was destroyed.
The main hospital suffered some damage and casualties as crowds of residents were forced to wait outside.
Australian doctors and nurses have arrived to reinforce local staff.
Australian relief RAAF flights took supplies and emergency personnel to Port Vila on Wednesday (December 18).
They included urban search and rescue teams from Queensland’s Fire and Rescue Service who will be tasked with assisting local crews in searching through the rubble.
Australian Federal Police will help set up emergency communications and undertake victim identification.
The RAAF planes evacuated hundreds of stranded Australians on their return flights.
Most commercial airline flights have been suspended, but the airport is expected to resume operations by the weekend.
Early estimates indicate 23,000 vulnerable people need urgent help, according to Save the Children.
Acting country director Lavinia Mahit said access to clean drinking water is an issue and reported long queues outside fuel stations with only a limited number of shops open
ActionAid Australia’s head of humanitarian programs Carol Angir, who is in Port Vila, described it as the worst earthquake she had been through.
“Getting out of the office door was the most difficult task and when I finally got outside, I realised the magnitude, I realised that we got lucky as most buildings in Port Vila are damaged,” she said.
Nearly all buildings and residences appear to have survived intact, subject to structural checks.
UNICEF estimates 80,000 people are affected, half of them children in need of humanitarian assistance.
The agency said it was working to distribute emergency first aid kits and supplies to the main hospital and across the community.
France and the US are offering to assist Australia and New Zealand in organising disaster relief.
That may become more urgent with the chance of a powerful cyclone hitting the island nation next week..
Photo: Facebook – Vanuatu Police Force
