Vanuatu: Search for survivors as 14 reported killed in earthquake

The number of fatalities from the earthquake that hit Vanuatu on Tuesday has increased to 14. Rescue teams are digging through debris in their efforts to find any survivors.

Two hundred more people are receiving treatment for their injuries, and significant aftershocks from the 7.3-magnitude quake were felt throughout the night.

The quake caused damage to structures, including the embassies of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Additionally, it disrupted electricity and mobile phone services.

According to the Vanuatu police, a week-long state of emergency has been established to restrict public movement as search and rescue efforts are in progress.

According to the government, four of the victims passed away in a hospital located in the capital, Port Vila. Six individuals lost their lives due to a landslide, and four others died as a result of a building collapse, with expectations that the death count may increase.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 116,000 individuals might experience the most severe consequences of the earthquake.

Australia's neighboring country will dispatch teams to help with the search and rescue operation, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles shared with ABC News on Wednesday.

Photos posted by the Vanuatu Police on Facebook displayed rescuers carefully searching through debris by hand and crawling beneath the floors of structures that had fallen.

Amid the debris of a collapsed three-story building, rescuers detected the sounds of at least three individuals calling out, according to Vanuatu local Michael Thompson, who shared this with AFP news agency.

Thompson mentioned that the rescue teams utilized "all the tools available," such as jackhammers, grinders, and concrete saws, to help save individuals.

The earthquake hit at 12:47 PM local time (01:47 AM GMT) on Tuesday, leading to a short-lived tsunami alert.

Vanuatu is a chain of around 80 islands situated in the South Pacific, lying to the west of Fiji and far to the east of northern Australia.

The country is located in an area prone to seismic activity, making it vulnerable to frequent significant earthquakes and various natural disasters.