Rescuers dig for survivors of Vanuatu earthquake with no water and unclear death toll

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Vanuatu's capital was without water on Wednesday, a day after reservoirs were destroyed by a violent magnitude 7.3 earthquake that wrought havoc on the South Pacific island nation, with the number of people killed and injured expected to rise.

The government's disaster management office said early Wednesday that 14 deaths were confirmed, but hours later said nine had been verified by the main hospital. The number was “expected to increase" as people remained trapped in fallen buildings, a spokesperson said. About 200 people have been treated for injuries.

Two of those killed were Chinese nationals, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, which cited Gu Zihua, an official at the Chinese embassy in Vanuatu.

Frantic rescue efforts that began at flattened buildings after the quake hit early Tuesday afternoon continued 30 hours later, with dozens working in dust and heat with little water to seek those yelling for help inside. A few more survivors were extracted from the rubble of downtown buildings in Port Vila, also the country's largest city, while others remained trapped and some were found dead.

A near-total telecommunications collapse meant people struggled to confirm their relatives' safety. Some providers began to reestablish phone service but connections were patchy.

Internet service had not been restored because the submarine cable supplying it was damaged, the operator said.

The earthquake hit at a depth of 57 kilometers (35 miles) and was centered 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of the capital of Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands home to about 330,000 people. A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake, but dozens of large aftershocks continued to rattle the country.

The Asia-Pacific head of the International Federation of Red Cross, Katie Greenwood, speaking to The Associated Press from Fiji, said it was not clear how many people were still missing or killed.

“We have anecdotal information coming from people at the search and rescue site that are fairly confident that unfortunately those numbers will rise,” she said.

The capital’s main medical facility, Vila Central Hospital, was badly damaged and patients were moved to a military camp. Clement Chipokolo, Vanuatu country director at the Christian relief agency World Vision, said health care services, already strained before the quake, were overwhelmed.

While power was out in swathes of Port Vila, the biggest fear among aid agencies was the lack of water. Two large reservoirs serving the capital were totally decimated, the National Disaster Management Office said.

Resident Milroy Cainton said people were joining large queues to buy water in stores, but could only purchase two or four bottles at a time. “People are not really concerned about electricity, they're just concerned about water,” he said.

UNICEF was recording a rise in diarrhea among children, a sign that they had begun to drink tainted water, said the chief of the Vanuatu office, Eric Durpaire. Officials told residents of areas where water had been restored to boil it.

At least 10 buildings sustained major damage, many in a busy downtown area full of lunchtime shoppers when the quake hit. An unknown number of people were trapped inside, and Cainton, the resident, said rescuers had been forced to target their efforts to where they believed people could be saved.

Michael Thompson, who runs a tourism business in Vanuatu, was among the rescuers and posted a video on Facebook of the frenzied efforts and dust-covered survivors on gurneys along with pleas for people to bring tools and water to the site.

Officials said Wednesday night that Port Vila appeared to be the worst-hit area, but some nearby villages and offshore islands had experienced landslides. Three bridges were “at high risk of collapse” in heavy rain, the government said.

A building housing a number of diplomatic missions in Port Vila — including those of the United States, Britain, France and New Zealand — was destroyed, with a section of the building cleaving off and flattening the first floor. Windows were buckled and walls crumbled.

The U.S. State Department said its embassy staff were safe, but the building was no longer functional. The office opened in July as part of a push by the U.S. to expand its Pacific presence to counter China’s influence in the region.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry said officials have accounted for all embassy staff. Australia’s foreign ministry said its workers were safe.

Damage to the seaport and airport is likely to hamper aid efforts and economic recovery in a country dependent on agricultural exports and tourism. The airport was closed to commercial flights for a further 72 hours from Wednesday.

But the runway was deemed functional for humanitarian flights by French engineers who arrived by helicopter. Military craft from Australia and New Zealand were due to begin arriving Wednesday night, carrying search and rescue personnel and equipment, as well as relief supplies.

Dan McGarry, a journalist living in Vanuatu, said there had been a “massive landslide” at the international shipping terminal. The government said the main wharf was closed.

Vanuatu’s position on a subduction zone — where the Indo-Australian tectonic plate moves beneath the Pacific Plate — means earthquakes of greater than magnitude 6 are not uncommon, and the country’s buildings are intended to withstand quake damage.

Associated Press writers Mayuko Ono in Tokyo, Japan; Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia; and Emily Wang in Beijing contributed to this report.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules C130 H is loaded up with supplies to deliver to Vanuatu, in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, following a strong earthquake that struck just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (SGT Maria Eves/New Zealand Defence Force via AP)

In this image released by Vanuatu Red Cross Society, its volunteers assist staff with the clean up at Vila Central Hospital in Port Vila, Vanuatu Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, following a powerful earthquake that struck just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean. (Vanuatu Red Cross Society via AP)

A Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules C130 H is loaded up with supplies to deliver to Vanuatu, in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, following a strong earthquake that struck just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, Tuesday, Dec. 17. (SGT Maria Eves/New Zealand Defence Force via AP)

Members of the New Zealand Fire Service board a Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules C130 H for a flight to Vanuatu, in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, following a magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, Tuesday, Dec. 17. (SGT Maria Eves/New Zealand Defence Force via AP)

In this image released by Vanuatu Red Cross Society, its volunteers assist staff with the clean up at Vila Central Hospital in Port Vila, Vanuatu Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, following a powerful earthquake that struck just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean. (Vanuatu Red Cross Society via AP)

This image made from a video shows a landslide near an international shipping terminal in Port Vila, Vanuatu following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Dan McGarry via AP)

This image made from a video shows a landslide near an international shipping terminal in Port Vila, Vanuatu following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Dan McGarry via AP)

A building damaged in Port Vila, Vanuatu, following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Tim Cutler via AP)

The inside of a building damaged is seen in Port Vila, Vanuatu, following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Tim Cutler via AP)

The inside of a building damaged is seen in Port Vila, Vanuatu, following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Tim Cutler via AP)

A building is seen damaged in Port Vila, Vanuatu following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Tim Cutler via AP)

MACAO (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday began a three-day visit to Macao to mark the 25th anniversary of the casino city’s return to Chinese rule.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were welcomed at the airport by a lavish ceremony with lion and dragon dances. Xi told reporters that Macao, a former Portuguese colony of 687,000 people, is “the pearl in the motherland’s palm.”

“I believe that as long as we fully leverage the institutional advantages of ‘one country, two systems,' dare to strive hard, and have the courage to innovate, Macao will certainly create an even better tomorrow,” he said.

Like neighboring financial hub Hong Kong, Beijing has ruled Macao under the “one country, two systems” principle that allows the cities to retain their own Western-style legal and economic systems. Macao is the only city in China where casino gambling is legal.

Since the 1999 handover from Portugal to China, Macao has transformed from a monopoly-driven casino hub into the world’s biggest gambling center that's been flooded by tourists, mainly from mainland China.

Over the years, violent crimes linked to organized crime were brought to heel. Older residents generally considered their fortunes have improved under Chinese rule, pointing to better welfare and annual cash handouts backed by huge gaming tax reserves.

But following huge anti-government protests in 2019 in nearby Hong Kong, authorities have further tightened control in the city although political activism there did not pose the same threat to Beijing.

A vigil commemorating China’s bloody 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests was banned. Pro-democracy figures were barred from joining the legislative election in 2021. Last year, the city toughened its national security law and vocal political dissent has largely been silenced.

China's leadership is more concerned about diversifying Macao's economy, which has been heavily reliant on the gaming and tourism sectors.

Its incoming leader Sam Hou Fai, who was elected by about 400 Beijing loyalists in October, said the economic diversification is a key issue. The former top judge promised to accelerate plans to boost tourism and other sectors such as traditional medicines, finance, tech, exhibitions and commerce.

However, the city remains reliant on the gambling industry for revenues to support welfare programs and other goals laid out by Beijing, analysts say.

Xi will attend the inauguration ceremony of the new government on Friday and is expected to lay out his expectations for the city.

China has helped promote Macao's development by designating a special zone on neighboring Hengqin island in Zhuhai city that Macao and mainland Chinese authorities will jointly run.

Security has tightened during Xi's visit, including a ban on flying drones between Dec.14-22.

Leung reported from Hong Kong.

China's President Xi Jinping, center left, and his wife Peng Liyuan alight from their aircraft after arriving at the airport in Macao, China, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, ahead of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the casino city’s return to Chinese rule. (Eduardo Leal/Pool Photo via AP)

China's President Xi Jinping, center right, shakes hands with outgoing Macao Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng as he arrives at the airport in Macao, China, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, ahead of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the casino city’s return to Chinese rule. (Eduardo Leal/Pool Photo via AP)

China's President Xi Jinping, left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, right, arrive at the airport in Macao, China, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, ahead of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the casino city’s return to Chinese rule. (Eduardo Leal/Pool Photo via AP)

China's President Xi Jinping, center, greets children waving the flags of China and Macao, as his wife Peng Liyuan, right, looks on upon arrival at the airport in Macao, China, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, ahead of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the casino city’s return to Chinese rule. (Eduardo Leal/Pool Photo via AP)

China's President Xi Jinping speaks upon his arrival at the airport in Macao, China, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, ahead of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the casino city’s return to Chinese rule. (Eduardo Leal/Pool Photo via AP)