Massive earthquake jolts Vanuatu, damaging buildings

A MAGNITUDE 7.3 earthquake struck near Vanuatu early Tuesday (Dec 17) afternoon, triggering small tsunami waves, causing serious damage to the US Embassy in the capital and knocking out most of the Internet connectivity in the Pacific Island nation.

The websites of government agencies and a major power company were offline after the earthquake, and the Australian High Commission said that its communication systems in Vanuatu had been affected. NetBlocks, a cybersecurity monitoring organisation, said there was a “near-total loss of Internet connectivity” across the country.

Phone calls to government agencies and police in Vanuatu did not go through.

The US Embassy in Port Vila sustained “considerable damage” and was closed until further notice, the US Embassy in Papua New Guinea said in an email. Videos posted online appeared to show that one floor of a section of the building had totally collapsed.

The Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corp, the national broadcaster, posted photos and videos on social media that appeared to show damaged and partially collapsed buildings, as well as people being treated for injuries.

The epicentre of the earthquake was about 18 miles off the coast of Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital, according to the US Geological Survey. The country is about 1,000 miles northeast of Australia and comprises more than 80 islands with a population of about 300,000.

The quake briefly prompted a tsunami alert for parts of Vanuatu, according to the US Tsunami Warning System, which is part of the National Weather Service. US officials said about an hour later that the threat had passed.

Tsunami waves of up to 0.8 feet above normal tidal levels were recorded hitting Vanuatu’s coastline after the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. NYTIMES