A devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Vanuatu, east of Australia, on Tuesday, causing widespread damage in the capital Port Vila.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred at 12:47 p.m. local time, about 30 kilometers off the coast of the main island of Efate, at a depth of 57 kilometers.
Several videos showing the moment the earthquake occurred are going viral on social media platforms.
One viral clip from X showed surveillance camera footage of a junkyard first shaking and then violently shaking.
Amid the chaos, the dog was caught on camera running away, quickly followed by a man who also sprinted for cover.
Surveillance camera footage of magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu
December 17, 2024 #Earthquake #Vanuatu #Teremoto #sismo pic.twitter.com/0MJWyhepga— Disasters Daily (@DisastersAndI) December 17, 2024
Separate videos reveal the aftermath of the earthquake, showing heavy damage to the embassy buildings of the US, UK and France.
❗️Major earthquake occurs in Vanuatu
The magnitude 7.3 earthquake caused widespread destruction in the Pacific island nation.
Footage on social media showed the building, which houses the embassies of the United States, Britain and France, suffered extensive damage, raising fears of further devastation.
RT pic.twitter.com/VQbOp4rvqg
— Mo Mustafa Hussain (@musthafaaa) December 17, 2024
Photos show trees that have been uprooted and spread out in the middle of the street.
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A powerful earthquake struck the Pacific island of Vanuatu on Tuesday, causing severe damage to buildings, including one housing foreign embassies in the capital Port Vila, witnesses told AFP… pic.twitter.com/1ZtfMV7lWW
— Punch Newspaper (@MobilePunch) December 17, 2024
The first floor of the American Embassy was damaged. Video footage shows the embassy collapsed and reports of people trapped inside.
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred in Vanuatu, east of Australia.
This video shows the American Embassy. It collapsed with people still inside.
The island suffered severe damage.
Pray for the victims and their families.
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— Paul A. Cipla ???????????? (@Bubblebathgirl) December 17, 2024
Other clips show extensive damage to CARE International’s offices in Port Vila after the afternoon’s strong earthquake. Many large buildings in the city have reportedly collapsed, and widespread power and water outages have affected large parts of the capital.
This afternoon’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake damaged CARE’s Vanuatu office in Port Vila.
Many large buildings were destroyed, and electricity and water were cut off in large parts of the capital. #Port Vila #Vanuatu https://t.co/UzzUhJGrHu pic.twitter.com/QA9xmkdCN1
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) December 17, 2024
Following the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a temporary tsunami warning for Vanuatu, predicting waves of up to 1 meter. The warning was later lifted.
Vanuatu, located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Frequent earthquakes, cyclones and tsunamis regularly shake this place, home to around 320,000 people. The 2024 World Risk Report ranks Vanuatu as highly vulnerable to such events due to its low-lying land and limited infrastructure.
