Photo: AFP
Vanuatu's Port Vila is in urgent need of help and heavy machinery as a rescue operation gets underway in the wake of a 7.3 earthquake, a resident says.
Michael Thompson has told RNZ multiple buildings have come down, including some that have pancaked possibly still with people inside.
"We are in need of help in Port Vila," he says. The New Zealand High Commission is among buildings that have been damaged.
He says most of the communications to Vanuatu have gone, and he is able to post due to Starlink. A journalist living in Vanuatu, Dan McGarry, says police have confirmed to him the quake has claimed at least one life.
Follow our liveblog for updates as they come to hand:
![This screengrab taken from handout video footage posted on the Facebook account of Michael Thompson on December 17, 2024 shows security forces and rescuers inspecting a damaged car trapped underneath a collapsed building in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila after a powerful earthquake hit the Pacific island. - The 7.3-magnitude quake struck on December 17 at a depth of 57 kilometres (35 miles), some 30 kilometres off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu's main island, at 12:47 pm (0147 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey. (Photo by MICHAEL THOMPSON / Facebook account of Michael Thompson / AFP) / NO USE AFTER JANUARY 16, 2025 05:59:55 GMT - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT «AFP PHOTO / FACEBOOK / MICHAEL THOMPSON» - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS [- NO ARCHIVE ]](https://media.rnztools.nz/rnz/image/upload/s--CTJh3iQV--/ar_16:10,c_fill,f_auto,g_auto,q_auto,w_288/v1734418334/4KF0NL2_AFP__20241217__36QJ7DW__v1__HighRes__VanuatuEarthquakeDamage_jpg?_a=BACCd2AD)
