Local residents in disaster-hit Vanuatu have recalled the moment a devastating earthquake struck on Tuesday, inflicting widespread damage and causing dozens of casualties, as rescue and repair work continues in the Pacific Island nation.
The 7.3-magnitude earthquake which hit on Tuesday lunchtime has left at least 14 people dead, including two Chinese nationals, and injured hundreds more, with authorities concerned the toll could rise further.
With the epicenter being just 30 km from the capital Port Vila, the quake has resulted in significant damage, triggering landslides and causing many buildings to collapse, while multiple aftershocks have also been reported.
As residents begin come to terms with the scale of the disaster, a local survivor named Norman Ben Daniel said he had never seen such a catastrophe before in his lifetime.
"It's our first time [to see this]. Now I'm 52 years old, I've never seen this kind of earthquake in my life. So this is the first time. So, it was very shocking, made people cry. All the mothers cried, the pikinini (children) cried, and everybody was confused," he said.
Daniel also said that rescue efforts are ongoing in Vanuatu as local volunteers have come forward to help repair roads after the disaster blocked basic transportation links.
"All our roads from the north valley, in my village to Port Vila, it's 41 kilometers to Port Vila, all was damaged. But we are [grateful to the] very good, some good people with their diggers, private [ones who] came and cleared the road so we can now just follow [the road] because access is very important. We have to make access to Port Vila, to the hospital. Because this is our main target that we have to do in some [of the rescue] work. It's our first priority," he said.
Meanwhile, an overseas Chinese resident in Vanuatu also shared her experience of the terrifying moment the quake struck on Tuesday, and said tremors have continued to rock the island nation following the main disaster.
"It happened when I was cooking. At first, I thought it was a normal minor earthquake. But then it got more and more violent. I had to run and ran outside. When I came back, I found my home in this state. After yesterday's earthquake, there were several rounds of aftershocks, constant aftershocks. There have been several aftershocks that shook things quite intensely. Now, I actually can hear a lot of alarms outside. Rescue efforts are still ongoing," said Ling Dang, a Chinese resident who is sojourned in Port Vila.
Vanuatu’s government has declared a seven-day state of emergency following the deadly quake and has also requested international assistance to help respond to the disaster.