A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck near Vanuatu.
Tsunami waves have been observed and though “hazardous” waves were forecast for some coastal areas, the tsunami risk has now passed.
An expert is warning of “significant damage” as a result of the quake, with reports of collapsed buildings and rescuers trying to reach people trapped under wreckage.
The region has been hit by a 5.5 magnitude aftershock, with video footage emerging of severely damaged buildings, with at least one completely destroyed.
GeoNet says the initial quake struck west of Port Vila at 2.47pm NZ time and was 10km deep.
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The seismic event was “unnoticeable” in New Zealand.
In a statement at 3.54pm, the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) confirmed there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand.
“The National Emergency Management Agency has assessed the information with the assistance of scientific advisers. Based on current information, the initial assessment is that the earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to New Zealand.”
Brian Malby lives in Port Havannah and described the quake.
“It was huge, emptied half my pool, the house bent and shook, the dogs knew it was coming before it hit us.
“Completely knocked me over, so violent, still getting aftershocks. Just had another big one. Otherwise all good, lots of coastal slips, my concern is for the villagers in their metal huts.”
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an alert saying “hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300km of the epicentre along the coasts of Vanuatu”.
An earlier message on the NZ Civil Defence website said Nema and GNS Science were assessing whether the earthquake had created a tsunami that could affect New Zealand.
“If a tsunami has been generated in this location it is not likely to arrive in New Zealand for at least 2 hours,” the message read.
“This National Advisory has been issued following a rapid assessment of preliminary earthquake information. The situation may change as more information becomes available.”
Video has been posted on Twitter showing damage to the French Embassy in Vanuatu.
A Ministry of of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) spokesperson said it was “monitoring the developing situation” in Vanuatu.
“There are 37 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Vanuatu. New Zealanders there should follow the advice of authorities.”
Mfat said anyone in need of consular assistance should contact the all-hours emergency consular line on +64 99 20 20 20.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says there is no threat to Australia from the earthquake, which it describes as magnitude 7.5.
A journalist in Port Vila described the quake as a “violent, high-frequency vertical shake”.
Dan McGarry took to X, saying the shake lasted 30 seconds, but “about a century in subjective time”.
He said his wife reported seeing a large landslide on the wharf road.
“Biggest one I’ve seen in 20+ years,” he said.
- More to come
