Vanuatu Earthquake

Following the recent earthquakes in Vanuatu, Digicel Pacific is offering free calls from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Nauru to Vanuatu from Friday 20th to Friday 27th December, 2024, helping families stay connected during this difficult time.

Digicel Pacific Regional HUB Markets CEO, Shally Jannif, emphasized the importance of staying connected and announced the launch of the Vanuatu Tuff Tumas earthquake relief donation platform to support the Vanuatu Red Cross.

Donations can be made via Digicel Mobile Money or MyCash at +678 1111222.

Shally says their teams are working to restore international connectivity with Interchange Limited and highlighted that Telstra has made all calls to Vanuatu numbers from Australia free until January 8.

Digicel says it remains committed to supporting Vanuatu and aiding relief efforts during this challenging time.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji is in contact with our regional partners Australia and New Zealand in assisting them in providing assistance to Vanuatu.

This is after two earthquakes hit the island country, causing havoc to the people's lives.

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Vanuatu on Monday, killing fourteen people and injuring hundreds.

Another 6.1 magnitude hit the country yesterday morning. Rabuka says they have communicated with the Prime Minister of Vanuatu on Fiji’s readiness to come to their assistance, and they are working with the Ministry of Regional Development and Disaster Management, the Army and the Police.

He says at the moment, the Airport or the runway is out of service, so any assistance or any deployment of troops and personnel will have to be staged via Santos.

He adds this is where they are asking Australia and New Zealand for assistance as assistance will be taken to the mainland by boat or landing craft.

@fijivillage.com Fiji in contact with AUS and NZ to provide assistance in Vanuatu - PM #Fiji #fyp #VanuatuEarthquake ♬ original sound - fijivillage

A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130J-30 Hercules left New Zealand at first light today and has arrived in Port Vila, with search and rescue equipment and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies following this week’s earthquake.

Also on board were Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade consular staff and six New Zealand Defence Force personnel, including medics and staff, who will assist with planning the emergency response and evacuation of New Zealanders.

Meanwhile, a second RNZAF C-130H Hercules has landed in Noumea to recover urban search and rescue members and equipment and take them to Vanuatu, after the earlier C-130H aircraft they were on last night diverted to New Caledonia following an engine fire warning indication.

The C-130H in Noumea will be repaired today with parts taken up on the recovery aircraft.

An RNZAF P-8A Poseidon is also airborne today, conducting another surveillance flight over Vanuatu including outlying areas to provide imagery for damage assessments.

This afternoon, an RNZAF Boeing 757 will depart RNZAF Base Auckland to transport more humanitarian assistance and disaster relief stores to Vanuatu and enable evacuations.

Vodafone Vanuatu CEO Thoman Bruce says they have managed to contact a few Fijian families in Port Vila, and so far, all the families contacted are in good health.

While speaking to fijivillage News from Port Vila, Bruce says 14 people had died, while more than 300 were injured following the devastating magnitude 7.3 quake on Tuesday.

When asked about the nationalities of those who had died, Bruce says he only knows about the son of a French-Vietnamese friend of his and a Chinese man who had been on the ground floor of another building that collapsed.

He further says the hospital was quite busy with injured people.

Bruce also says they had sent out messages on their Facebook group, requesting the community to contact Vodafone Vanuatu or send a text message if any urgent help was required.

He also says there is a lot of assistance coming from various countries, including Australia and New Zealand, with a couple of planes having arrived yesterday.

He also says that in Port Vila, most areas have no electricity or water, as the water supply system has been affected.

In terms of communication, Bruce says Vodafone had managed to restore international voice calls, allowing people and families to stay in touch; however, internet services remained disrupted because the power system in the data centre had been affected by the earthquake, with repair works underway.

He says they have enabled instant messaging on WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook Messenger to help families in Vanuatu communicate with their loved ones.

According to a situation report by UNICEF, at least 40,000 children in Vanuatu are in need of humanitarian assistance, while at least 80,000 people have been affected, largely within the capital city of Port Vila on the island of Efate.

The agency says it was working to distribute emergency first aid kits and supplies to the main hospital and across the community.

Dozens of Vanuatu workers returning home from working on orchards and vineyards in New Zealand are stuck in Fiji with commercial flights yet to resume.

Local authorities said yesterday the Bauerfield International Airport would likely remain closed until at least Saturday.

Similar scenes were playing out for their colleagues in Australia the first to announce the cancellation of flights to Port Vila.

Vanuatu resident Danson Kirk said he was on a call with his wife, who was at a wharf preparing to board an outboard motor canoe in the capital to head home to their village, when the 7.3 magnitude quake struck on Tuesday.

Kirk says she switched to her front-facing camera and started showing him some of what was going on and then she was cut-off along with the entire country as power, internet and all telecommunications went out in the immediate aftermath of the quake.

He says he was worried because the whole network in Vanuatu was down, so, he did not know if she had made it back to their island or not.

Kirk remained in the dark for hours, until 11pm on Tuesday when telecommunications started being restored, and he was able to reach his wife who reassured him that their family were all safe.

Source: RNZ Pacific

People in Fiji who are experiencing difficulties reaching their loved ones in Vanuatu following the magnitude 7.3 earthquake are encouraged to contact the Fiji Red Cross Society on +679 9715895, as they have activated their Restoring Family Links service.

People can also send emails to salote.tupou@redcross.com.fj.

In an interview with fijivillage News, Senior Disaster Management Coordinator Nete Logavatu says some families have contacted them, and they are gathering information about their loved ones in Vanuatu.

He says communication remains an issue in Port Vila and once they establish that channel, they will be able to provide assistance.

Logavatu further says there is a need for manpower in Vanuatu and believes NDMO Fiji has been in touch with NDMO Vanuatu regarding the assistance that can be provided.

He says they are waiting for specific requests and adds that restoring communications will be key to mobilising resources.

Digicel Vanuatu customers can now reconnect with loved ones, as international calls are possible via SES satellite.

Digicel Vanuatu says that their teams are working to restore full connectivity with Integrated Communications Network.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Vanuatu earlier confirmed that their technical team has successfully restored international voice services, though they are still working to resolve internet connectivity issues.

They say that family members and loved ones overseas can now reconnect and call Vanuatu without interruptions.

Port Vila resident Micheal Thompson, who is part of the rescue efforts and has been providing updates on the situation, says the internet cable is intact but server racks and the power supply were damaged.

He says the communications team is currently working to get the landing station for the fibre cable operational.

Some residents have been able to get online using Starlink.

Nearly 24 hours after the devastating magnitude 7.3 earthquake, volunteers continue to search through debris to free those trapped, including two women and a child.

The death toll has risen to 14 overnight, and more than 200 people have been treated for injuries.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Vanuatu and extend our deepest sympathies to the families that have lost a loved one, and our thoughts and prayers go out to those who were injured, and we do hope for their speedy recovery.

This was highlighted by the Leader of Opposition Inia Seruiratu in a statement this morning.

He says the earthquake and the second one this morning have caused truly heartbreaking destruction and loss.

Seruiratu says they share in the grief and concern of the Vanuatu community and will do everything possible to help in these moments of tragedy, and he is calling on other regions to offer their support and assistance in helping Vanuatu rebuild and recover.

He urges everyone to keep the people of Vanuatu in their thoughts and prayers and may the strength and resilience of the Vanuatu people guide them through this challenging time.

As getting in touch with family in Vanuatu is still difficult following the magnitude 7.3 earthquake yesterday, Fijians in Port Vila have been able to get some information out through social media.

Maseikula Niumataiwalu who lives in Port Vila, in a facebook post says they are safe, apart from a few scratches.

He says his family spent the night at a friend’s place as their place is right by the water and there might still be a risk of a tsunami.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to give an update on Fijian nationals in Vanuatu due to connectivity issues.

People have been able to get online through Starlink and satellite phones.

Port Vila resident, Micheal Thompson who is part of the rescue efforts and has been providing updates on the situation says internet cable is good but server racks and power supply was damaged.

He says the communications team is currently working on getting the landing station for the fibre cable up and running.

Vodafone Vanuatu says their technical team has successfully restored international voice services but are working to resolve their internet services.

They say this means that family members and loved ones overseas can now reconnect and call Vanuatu without any interruptions.

Digicel has yet to provide an update on their services but people within Vanuatu have been able to call each other while on the Digicel network.

Meanwhile, Vanuatu has been rocked by a second 6.1 magnitude earthquake this morning.

At least 14 people have died and hundreds are injured, according to the Red Cross.

National broadcaster VBTC showed footage of vehicles crushed under the debris of collapsed buildings and boulders strewn across a highway.

Drone footage showed landslips near a shipping terminal.

Caretaker Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai, declared a state of emergency and said a curfew would be imposed for seven days in the worst affected areas.

International assistance has been requested.

Source: sbs.com.au