RESCUE TEAMS CONTINUE HUNT FOR SURVIVORS IN VANUATU

There are conflicting reports of the official death toll from a massive earthquake in Vanuatu as rescue teams continue to scour the rubble for survivors.

On 17 December, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office reported 14 deaths. It said four people had been confirmed dead by the hospital, six others were killed in a landslide and four others died in a collapsed building. But on Wednesday, the disaster management office reported only nine people had been confirmed dead by the hospital and made no mention of the deaths it had earlier attributed to the landslides and collapsed buildings. On Thursday evening, Vanuatu President Nike Vurobatavu said the number of people dead was "around 16". One consistent figure is the more than 200 people injured, with the hospital saying many patients were being treated for broken bones. Meanwhile, Vanuatu police were urging people to come forward and report missing persons.

Damage in Vanuatu following a magnitude-7.4 quake in December 2024.

A landslide near the main wharf of Port Vila. Photo: Development Mode / Facebook via ABC News

Damage and destruction

According to the Vanuatu government's disaster assessment team most of the damage from the earthquake had been to the Port Vila CBD on the main island of Efate. This area has been closed to the public and search and rescue operations were ongoing. Any buildings still standing had sustained significant structural damage. The Port Vila main wharf remained closed due to a major landslide. The two main water reservoirs supplying Port Vila had been totally destroyed and would require reconstruction; an assessment of the rest of the water network was ongoing. A boil water notice is in place for all of Vila.

Power and telecommunications

The utility company Unelco is working to restore power and water supply. Vodafone Vanuatu informed its customers that instant messaging on Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp had been restored on its mobile network. Audio and video calling via these platforms, however, was still unavailable by Thursday. Vodafone said its team was working hard to resolve these issues and fully restore its internet services.

State of emergency

A one-week state of emergency was declared on Tuesday by the president of the republic Nikenike Vurobaravu for the worst affected areas. Police had been urging people to adhere to the nightly curfew of 6pm to 6am local time. They had also warned of a greater chance of opportunistic crimes being committed after the disaster and urged everyone to look out for each other.

Military evacuation

Close to 100 New Zealanders are being evacuated on a military flight. The Boeing 757, with 93 passengers on board - almost all of them New Zealanders - left Port Vila shortly before 8pm Thursday and was due to arrive in Auckland about 11pm. Foreign affairs staff were planning to meet them on arrival and help with accommodation needs. The ministry said its emergency call centre would work throughout the night to contact New Zealanders who remained in Vanuatu and had not ruled out further evacuations.

Commercial flights

There were no commercial flights operating into or out of Vanuatu. Local authorities said on Tuesday they were closing the Bauerfield International Airport to commercial flights for 72 hours to repair damages and prioritise disaster relief flights. Passengers booked to fly Fiji Airways to Vila on Thursday had their flights moved to 21 December. Solomon Airlines had also indicated it would resume flying to Vanuatu from Saturday. Virgin Airlines has cancelled flights until Sunday and a spokesperson for the Qantas Group told the ABC they were monitoring the situation closely.

International aid

International defence and medical personnel, search and rescue teams and disaster response experts from New Zealand, Australia and France were now on the ground in Port Vila. They were helping local emergency response teams, which had been working around the clock since Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude quake alongside locally based staff at UN agencies and non-government organisations in Vila. Time is of the essence for the teams scouring the rubble for any sign of survivors.

Evacuations from Vanuatu

The first evacuation flight from Vanuatu to New Zealand was due to leave about 7pm (NZ time) on Thursday. NZDF said there were about 86 evacuees onboard the 757 plane, which has a 200-seat capacity, and includes New Zealanders and ''approved foreign nationals'". The plane is due to land in about three hours' time at either Auckland Airport or Whenuapai military base. Source: rnz.co.nz