7:59 pm today

Live: Large 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near Vanuatu

7:59 pm today
Rescue workers are seen at the site of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake struck Port Vila, the capital city of Vanuatu, on December 17, 2024. - A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific island of Vanuatu on December 17, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila including one housing the US and other embassies, with a witness telling AFP of bodies seen in the city. (Photo by AFP)

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: