Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes near capital Vanuatu | Earthquake News

Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes near capital Vanuatu | Earthquake News

DEVELOPMENT OF THE STORY,

After an earthquake near Vanuatu’s capital Porta Vila, the tsunami threat to the surrounding islands has passed.

According to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred near Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Initial reports said Tuesday’s quake struck at a location 37 km (22.9 miles) from the capital and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

Later reports estimated the depth of the quake at 43 km (26.7 miles), which was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock near the same location.

Footage posted on social media showed dented windows and collapsed concrete pillars at a building housing foreign embassies in Port Vila, including those of the United States, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Reuters news agency reported.

There were no initial reports of injuries or deaths.

Dan McGarry, a Vanuatu-based journalist, said the quake was the strongest he had experienced in 20 years.

In social media posts, McGarry described the quake as a “mass casualty event” and confirmed the death of one person to Vila Central Hospital, which has set up a triage center outside the emergency room.

Vanuatu government websites were offline after the quake and phone numbers for police and other public authorities could not be connected. The social media channels of the country’s Geohazards Agency and the Prime Minister’s Office were not updated.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said it had observed waves following the quake, but later lifted the tsunami threat for neighboring islands, including Fiji, the Kermadec Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Wallis Futuna .

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said there was no tsunami threat to the country. Authorities in New Zealand also said there was no risk of a tsunami.

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