By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-18 06:27:23 | Updated at 2024-12-18 09:02:59
2 hours ago
Rescuers in Vanuatu on Wednesday searched for people trapped under rubble a day after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific nation’s capital Port Vila, killing 14 people including two Chinese nationals and damaging commercial buildings, embassies and a hospital.
More than 200 people have been injured, with rescue efforts focused on two buildings that collapsed, Vanuatu Police Commissioner Robson Iavro said in a video message.
Three people trapped in a collapsed building were communicating with rescuers, he said.
“We believe there are more stuck inside,” Iavro said.
Footage posted on social media showed vehicles crushed under the debris, boulders strewn across a highway and landslides near Port Vila’s international shipping terminal. National broadcaster VBTC showed people queuing for fuel and essentials.
Australian Michael Thompson, who runs a zip line adventure business in Vanuatu, said he had helped dig people out of the rubble overnight.
