Nearly 24 hours after the deadly magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Vanuatu, volunteers are still combing through debris to free those trapped, including two women and a child.
Rescue efforts continued as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade finally made contact with two previously unaccounted for staff members.
The death toll climbed to 14 overnight and more than 200 people were treated for injuries, according to the Vanuatu Government.
The New Zealand Defence Force is scrambling resources for the island nation as attempts are made to restore power and repair damage to the water supply which has now run dry, according to the Red Cross.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said a Defence Force P8 aircraft is due to fly over the hardest hit areas to assess the damage and a C130 would attempt to land this afternoon carrying rescue teams, supplies and consular people.
People have overnight been pulled alive from the rubble of collapsed buildings, giving hope to search and rescue volunteers.
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Vanuatu Red Cross Secretary-General Dickinson Tevi told RNZ that two women and a child were among those trapped in the rubble.
Tevi said they were in one of the buildings “pancaked” by the quake and work is ongoing to free them.
He said he expected there to be more people trapped under the debris.
Tevi said substantial landslides were making rescue efforts difficult as they blocked roads and hit buildings.
He was also concerned about the damage to the water supply.
“Everybody is without water now, I don’t know how soon they can repair those tanks.”
A major search and rescue operation began yesterday afternoon and continued through the night. Port Vila resident Michael Thompson reported seeing three people pulled out alive, but injured, from collapsed buildings by rescue crews.
“[There have been] incredible displays of bravery, with people entering confined spaces to conduct rescues,” he said.
More help is needed, including heavy machinery, to help comb through the rubble of buildings, he said.
In a press conference, Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai said a State of Emergency and curfew were in place in the worst-affected areas.
He said they “urgently request international assistance”.
Vanuatu Business Resilience Council chairperson Glen Craig said he expects the death toll to rise as Australia and New Zealand assistance arrives to help.
He said many of the buildings in the CBD have “pancaked” and they do not have the resources to go through the rubble.
“We’re expecting it will be a mass fatality event because of the fact that we can’t access some of those buildings that have pancaked.”
He said he had heard reports of at least four people who died after a building collapsed onto cars, trapping the people inside.
MFAT says its High Commission building in Vanuatu sustained “significant damage” after the quake.
“There are 45 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Vanuatu, though we expect there will be more who are not registered.
“New Zealanders there should follow the advice of authorities and be prepared for aftershocks.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his thoughts – and the thoughts of the New Zealand Government – are with the people of Vanuatu after the major earthquake.
“We are monitoring the developing situation closely and stand ready to help,” he wrote on X.
Peters said the Government is monitoring the developing situation closely and is in contact with the New Zealand High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Nicci Simmonds, and her team.
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