Vanuatu in crisis: Health concerns arise as NZ joins search for earthquake survivors

Rescue teams continue to search for survivors following two earthquakes that struck Vanuatu this week.

On Tuesday, a 7.3-magnitude quake hit the capital, Port Vila, causing widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Vanuatu's international partners, including New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and France, have committed defence and medical personnel to assist the local authorities and NGOs. Photo/Australian Department of Defence/Campbell Latch

Less than 24 hours later, a second earthquake - 6.1 magnitude - struck, leaving the city paralysed and a nation clinging to hope just a week before Christmas.

According to authorities, at least 14 people have been killed and hundreds more injured. The death toll is expected to rise as individuals remain trapped in collapsed buildings.

Vanuatu police are urging residents to report any missing persons.

Located some 2900 kilometres north of New Zealand, Vanuatu has a population of about 335,000 (World Bank 2023 statistics).

In response to the crisis, Vanuatu's President Nikenike Vurobaravu declared a state of emergency for one week starting Tuesday, which includes a curfew from 6pm to 6am local time.

Local authorities have been working around the clock since Tuesday to try to locate and rescue people trapped in the rubble. Photo/Vanuatu Police Force

Officials from the government's disaster management team report that most of the damage is concentrated in Port Vila's central business district on the main island of Efate.

Starting Wednesday, the city's wharf and airport were closed to commercial flights and ships for 72 hours, allowing only humanitarian flights.

Landslides and damage to roads and bridges have cut off access to the airport and main wharf.

Damage to reservoirs supplying water to Vila has led the government to issue "boil water" notices for the entire capital.

Power and telecommunications are also down, although minimal phone and internet services were restored on Thursday.

Port Vila resident Michael Thompson shared footage of the damage hours after the first earthquake struck Vanuatu's capital.

The Red Cross estimates more than 50,000 people have been affected, particularly in the hardest-hit areas.

"Communities are in desperate need of immediate assistance," the international humanitarian agency said.

"The Red Cross has activated communication facilities to help their Vanuatu teams on the ground communicate and coordinate their response.

"Your generous donation can help the people affected by the earthquakes in the aftermath of this devastating disaster.

"Your support could also help distribute relief items and essential supplies, as well as the recovery efforts."

The Red Cross has launched an appeal for assistance amid its relief efforts in Port Vila. Photo/Vanuatu Red Cross

Donations can be made through their website here.

Vanuatu's international partners, including New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and France, have committed defence and medical personnel to assist the local authorities and NGOs in the search and rescue efforts.

New Zealand is also helping with evacuations from the city.

However, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Hercules aircraft, en route to Vanuatu, was forced to land in New Caledonia due to an engine fire warning.

The plane carrying rescue staff and equipment was scheduled to land at Bauerfield International Airport in Port Vila on Wednesday evening.

Emergency teams from New Zealand have been deployed to assist in the search and rescue efforts in Vanuatu. Photo/NZDF/Sergeant Maria Eves

The New Zealand Defence Force said a second aircraft was sent on Thursday to transport the teams to Vanuatu from the New Caledonian capital, Noumēa.

Additionally, an RNZAF P-8A Poseidon conducted a surveillance flight over Port Vila on Wednesday to assess the damage, while other flights to Vanuatu continued as planned.

RNZ reported that many seasonal workers from Vanuatu, returning from jobs in New Zealand orchards and vineyards, are stranded in Fiji due to the airport's closure.

"Passengers booked to fly Fiji Airways to Vila on Thursday had their flights moved to 21 December," said Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific's editor, who is en route to Vanuatu.

"Solomon Airlines had also indicated it would resume flying to Vanuatu from Saturday.

Vanuatu seasonal workers check into a hotel in Nadi to await the resumption of commercial airline services to Port Vila. Photo/RNZ Pacific/Koroi Hawkins

"Virgin Airlines has cancelled flights until Sunday, and a spokesperson for the Qantas Group told the ABC they were monitoring the situation closely."

Meanwhile, the United Nations says it is concerned about a potential health crisis in Vanuatu following the destruction of two major water reservoirs.

UN aid agencies warned that the lack of clean drinking water and proper sanitation could create an urgent humanitarian emergency.

They noted that Vanuatu's health system is at risk of being overwhelmed due to the rise of waterborne diseases from the clean water crisis and disrupted telecommunications services.

Eric Durpaire, UNICEF Vanuatu chief, told a media conference that the number of children with diarrhoea cases had increased.

Watch the earthquake's impact inside the Tana Plaza Pharmacy in Port Vila.

"There is a rise in the number of children with diarrheal illness, indicating they have started to drink contaminated water because the water supply has been compromised."

Clement Chipokolo, Vanuatu country director at the Christian relief agency World Vision, told journalists that healthcare services, which were already strained before the earthquakes, are now overwhelmed.

He said the main hospital in Vila was severely damaged, and patients were moved to a military camp.

Vanuatu is in a subduction zone where the Indo-Australian tectonic plate moves beneath the Pacific Plate. This means earthquakes of more than magnitude 6 are not uncommon.

In January 2023, a 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Vanuatu. In August 2018, a 6.5 quake occurred at a depth of 13km near the coast of Ambrym Island.

Watch the interview with New Zealand's Minister for Pacific Peoples and Health Dr Shane Reti.