Port Vila, Vanuatu – A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck off the coast of Vanuatu on Tuesday, leaving at least one person dead and causing extensive damage in the capital, Port Vila. The earthquake was followed by a 5.5 magnitude aftershock near the same location.

Eyewitnesses reported severe damage to buildings in Port Vila, with one resident telling AFP they had seen bodies in the rubble as they walked through the town. “There are people in the buildings in town. There were bodies there when we walked past,” they said.

Both the US and New Zealand embassies have confirmed significant damage to their buildings, which are located in the same complex as the British High Commission and the French embassy. The US embassy issued a statement confirming that all staff were safe, despite the considerable destruction of their building. “While the US Embassy building sustained significant damage, all personnel were able to safely evacuate the building,” the statement read. One local resident reported that the ground floor of the embassy was crushed under the weight of the higher floors, leaving it “completely flat.”

New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, said the country’s High Commission had also sustained considerable damage, and Wellington was closely monitoring the situation. “We stand ready to help Vanuatu and to respond to requests for assistance,” he said in a post on social media.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, landslides blocked roads, and buildings were seen collapsed onto vehicles. A tsunami warning that was issued after the quake was lifted two hours later, with small waves of less than 30 centimetres predicted to affect other Pacific island nations, including Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. Red Cross teams are on standby to assist the affected communities.