BREAKING NEWS🚀 The American Embassy in Port Vila, Vanuatu, has collapsed following a massive 7.4 earthquake. Fears rise that embassy staff may have been inside…

A powerful 7.3 earthquake hit Vanuatu on Tuesday, sparking a network outage, crushing vehicles and damaging multiple buildings, including a complex in the capital Port Vila that hosts the diplomatic missions of Western nations including the United States.

The quake struck 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of the Pacific island nation’s capital at about 57.1 kilometers (35.5 miles) deep, shortly after noon, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It was followed by a 5.5 aftershock.

With communications down, the official death toll was not immediately known. But at least 14 people were reportedly killed and 200 have been treated for injuries, according to Katie Greenwood, a Fiji-based regional head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, citing the government.

The quake caused buildings to collapse, crushing cars, with some feared to be trapped under the rubble. Landslides occurred near an international shipping terminal at Port Villa, blocking access, according to Reuters.

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Hours after the quake hit, crowds began to form outside a hospital waiting to be treated, according to the Associated Press, citing footage from national broadcaster Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation, whose website had gone offline.

Multiple social media videos geolocated by CNN showed damage to a red and blue building that houses the US and other Western embassies. One section of the ground floor appeared to have partially collapsed, with debris strewn around the US embassy’s crest and several windows shattered.

“The US Embassy in Port Vila has sustained considerable damage and is closed until further notice,” a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea told CNN. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this earthquake and the US government will work closely with our partners in Vanuatu.”

New Zealand’s foreign ministry confirmed to CNN that the building also houses its High Commission office and the embassies of France and the United Kingdom, saying it had “sustained significant damage.”

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Goods scatter across the floor following a strong earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on December 17, 2024.
Vanuatu is home to about 330,000 people over a group of 80 islands.

Greenwood said the damage was widespread, including collapsed buildings in downtown Port Vila and crippled infrastructure in provincial areas. Red Cross volunteers were ready to help affected communities, she said.

“For the Pacific, it’s the worst … I have seen in terms of earthquake damage,” she told CNN.

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Damages in Port Vila, Vanuatu, following a powerful earthquake.
The US geological agency issues damage predictions, known as pagers, for powerful earthquakes.

The present quake triggered yellow pagers – or a level 2 on a scale of 4 – on both the estimated economic damage and fatality, USGS said, adding past yellow alerts “have required a local or regional level response.”

“Some casualties and damage are possible, and the impact should be relatively localized,” warned the USGS, adding “estimated economic losses are 1-10% GDP of Vanuatu.”

In total, 73,000 people experienced severe shaking. Of those that experienced severe shaking, 36,000 were people in Port Vila.

The USGS has recorded several aftershocks, including a 5.5-magnitude quake Wednesday morning local time.

Vanuatu government websites were offline in the aftermath of the quake and phone numbers for the police and other public agencies did not connect, the Associated Press reported. Social media channels for the country’s geohazards agency and the prime minister’s office have not been updated.

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Rescue workers are seen at the site of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake struck Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, on December 17, 2024.
Initial tsunami warnings were later cancelled.

“There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake,” the National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. But it warned, “minor sea level fluctuations may occur in some coastal areas near the earthquake over the next few hours.”

The US only opened its Vanuatu embassy in July this year, part of a recent ramping up of its diplomatic presence in the Pacific as it competes with China for influence in the strategically vital region.

“The opening of the embassy builds upon our efforts to provide more diplomatic presence throughout the region and to engage further with our Pacific neighbors,” the State Department said at the time.

Prior to Vanuatu, the US opened embassies in two other island nations, Solomon Islands and Tonga.

This story has been updated with additional information.