US embassy in Vanuatu suffers ‘significant damage’ as powerful earthquake hits Pacific nation

A powerful 7.3 earthquake struck Vanuatu on Tuesday, triggering a network failure, crushing vehicles and damaging several buildings, including a complex in the capital Port Vila that hosts the diplomatic missions of Western nations, including the United States.

The earthquake struck 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of the Pacific island nation’s capital at a depth of about 57.1 kilometers (35.5 miles), shortly after noon, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It was followed by a 5.5 aftershock.

With communications down, the official death toll was not immediately known. But at least one person was killed, according to aid agencies, citing preliminary reports from the ground and local media.

The earthquake caused buildings to collapse and crushed cars, and some feared being trapped under the rubble. Landslides occurred near an international shipping terminal at Port Villa, blocking access, according to Reuters.

Hours after the quake struck, crowds began forming outside a hospital waiting to be treated, according to the Associated Press, citing footage from national broadcaster Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation, whose website had gone offline.

Several social media videos, geolocated by CNN, showed damage to a red and blue building that houses the US and other Western embassies. A section of the ground floor appeared to have partially collapsed, with debris strewn around the US Embassy emblem and several windows broken.

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

New Zealand’s foreign ministry confirmed to CNN that the building also houses its high commission office and the embassies of France and the United Kingdom, saying it had “sustained significant damage.”

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

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

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

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

The US Geological Survey issues damage forecasts, known as pagers, for major earthquakes.

The current earthquake triggered yellow pagers — or a level 2 on a scale of 4 — for both the estimated economic damage and fatalities, the USGS said, adding previous yellow alerts “have required a response at the local or regional level.”

“Some loss and damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized,” the USGS warned, adding “estimated economic losses are 1-10% GDP for Vanuatu.”

In total, 73,000 people experienced severe shaking. Of those who experienced severe shaking, 36,000 people were in Port Vila.

Vanuatu’s government websites were offline in the wake of the earthquake, and phone numbers for police and other government agencies were not connected, the Associated Press reported. Social media channels for the country’s geohazards agency and the prime minister’s office have not been updated.

The initial tsunami warnings were later cancelled.

“There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake,” the National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. But it warned, “minor sea level fluctuations may occur in some coastal areas near the earthquake during the next few hours.”

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

“The opening of the embassy builds on our efforts to provide more diplomatic presence throughout the region and to further engage with our Pacific neighbors,” the State Department said at the time.

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

This story has been updated with additional information.

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