Strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake hits Vanuatu

A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck near Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila, damaging buildings and other infrastructure.

The quake happened at 12:47 local time (01:47 GMT) at a depth of 10km, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

It briefly triggered a tsunami alert for parts of the Pacific island nation, but officials said as of 14:14 local time that the threat had passed.

The number of casualties is unknown. Footage on social media shows collapsed buildings, cars hit by fallen panels and furniture strewn on floors inside homes.

The US embassy in Port Vila is among the damaged buildings, according to photographs posted online.

Michael Thompson, director of the Vanuatu Jungle Zipline adventure company, said communications in the area had been “really patchy” and that he had set up a Starlink network near his home so the public could access the internet.

“There’s multiple buildings that have come down around town. There’s a big rescue operation on the way to clear out people who are possibly alive in the building,” he said in a video posted to Facebook.

“Most of the communications have gone.”

USGS reported at least four aftershocks around Port Vila – with magnitudes ranging from 4.7 to 5.5 – in the two hours after the first earthquake.

Authorities in neighbouring New Zealand and Australia said there was no tsunami threat for their countries.