Port Vila. An earthquake of 7.3 magnitude occurred on Tuesday off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean. According to the USGS, the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 57 kilometers, 30 kilometers west of Port Vila, the largest city of Vanuatu. After this, an aftershock of 5.5 magnitude also occurred near the same place. It was not immediately clear how much damage was caused by the earthquake.
Due to the intensity of the earthquake, the websites of the Vanuatu government were closed after the earthquake. The phone numbers of police and public agencies are also not working. In such a situation, information about the damage caused by the Philhas earthquake is not yet available. There are fears that this earthquake could prove to be a major natural disaster for Vanuatu.
Officials said the road connecting Port Vila to the international shipping terminal has been blocked due to landslides. Multiple footage posted on social media showed a building’s windows shattered and concrete pillars collapsing. The US Tsunami Warning System said that a tsunami warning has been issued after the earthquake.
The embassy buildings of America, Britain, France and New Zealand were also damaged in the earthquake. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Papua New Guinea said its embassy in Port Vila suffered significant damage and was closed until further notice. Let us tell you that Vanuatu is a group of 80 islands located in the South Pacific Ocean. Around three lakh people live here. This island group faces the threat of tsunami.
