Foreign Affairs

South Pacific

Cyclone and earthquake: Vanuatu islands call for a state of emergency

No casualties have been reported so far, but strong winds have ripped roofs of buildings and uprooted trees.

03/03/2023

Vanuatu, an island state in the Pacific, has declared a state of emergency, hit simultaneously by a cyclone and an earthquake of magnitude 6.5.

The earthquake occurred at 19:04 Italian time yesterday, 5 am local time, 10 kilometers deep off the large island of Espiritu Santo according to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS). The quake was followed by a magnitude 5.4 aftershock.

There was no tsunami warning but Vanuatu was hit by Cyclone Kevin, with damage prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency, government spokesman Joe Harry Karu told AFP.

No casualties have been reported so far, Pacific Red Cross spokesman Soneel Ram told AFP, but strong winds from the cyclone tore roofs of buildings and uprooted trees. Two days earlier, Cyclone Judy had already passed through Vanuatu with winds adding 200 kilometers per hour and torrential rains.