Deadly earthquake in Vanuatu: 14 dead and a hundred injuries!

Deadly earthquake in Vanuatu: 14 dead and a hundred injuries!

Port Vila, Vanuatu - A devastating earthquake of the strength 7.3 shaked the island state of Vanuatu in the South Pacific on December 17, 2024. At least 14 people were killed as a result of the shocks and over 200 people were injured. The aid organization Unicef ​​reports of around 80,000 people affected because many buildings in the capital Port Vila have severely damaged or collapsed. The entire extent of the destruction is still unclear. Larger water reservoirs and important transport connections were seriously affected. While the police warn of buildings at risk of collapse, the first international auxiliary transports from Australia and New Zealand have reached the island state to provide quick help.

The first assessment of the situation shows that most injuries suffer from breaks and cuts, which were caused by falling debris. The national health authorities urgently need to organize medical care, since the hospital in Port Vila, caused by structural damage, handles its emergency services in front of the building in temporary tents. The telecommunications networks have largely failed, so that only individual users of Star Link can send information abroad. In order to cover the humanitarian needs, Unicef ​​has already provided medical kits and hygiene seren quisites to help the injured on site, while the distribution of water and other vital goods has also started, such as reliefweb.int reported

help on the way

Overall, the arrival of several aircraft from the Australian Air Force is expected to bring firefighters, paramedics and engineers to Vanuatu to provide support on site. The assessment of the damage is comprehensive and is continuously adapted because the search for missing and initial care of the injured is top priority. Unicef ​​estimates that around 40,000 children are urgently needed by humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs, which increases the urgency of international aid actions, such as Volksblatt.at reported. The state level remains alert in order to master the humanitarian challenges as quickly as possible.