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Deadly earthquake in Vanuatu: 14 dead and hundreds injured!
Strong earthquake in Vanuatu: 14 dead, 200 injured and significant damage in Port Vila. Help arrives, situation critical.
Deadly earthquake in Vanuatu: 14 dead and hundreds injured!
A devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the island nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific on December 17, 2024. As a result of the tremors, at least 14 people died and over 200 people were injured. The aid organization UNICEF reports around 80,000 people are affected, as many buildings in the capital Port Vila are badly damaged or collapsed. The full extent of the destruction is still unclear. Larger water reservoirs and important transport connections were severely affected. While the police warn of buildings in danger of collapsing, the first international aid transports from Australia and New Zealand have reached the island state to provide quick help.
The initial assessment of the situation shows that most of the injured suffer from fractures and cuts caused by falling debris. National health authorities must urgently organize medical care as the hospital in Port Vila, affected by structural damage, is carrying out its emergency services in temporary tents outside the building. Telecommunications networks are largely down, meaning only individual Star Link users can send information abroad. To meet humanitarian needs, UNICEF has already provided medical kits and hygiene supplies to help the injured on site, while the distribution of water and other essential supplies has also begun, such as reliefweb.int reported.
Hilfe auf dem Weg
In total, several Australian Air Force aircraft are expected to arrive, bringing firefighters, paramedics and engineers to Vanuatu to provide on-site support. The assessment of the damage is comprehensive and is continually adjusted, as the search for missing persons and the initial care of the injured have the highest priority. UNICEF estimates that among those affected, approximately 40,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs, increasing the urgency of international relief efforts, such as volksblatt.at reported. The country level remains on alert in order to overcome the humanitarian challenges as quickly as possible.