The U.S. embassy in Vanuatu has suffered “considerable damage” following an earthquake.
A 7.3 magnitude temblor struck the Pacific nation on Tuesday, causing damage to multiple buildings, including a complex in the capital, Port Vila, which hosts several Western embassies.
“The U.S. Embassy in Port Vila has sustained considerable damage and is closed until further notice,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, told CNN. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this earthquake and the U.S. government will work closely with our partners in Vanuatu.”
Videos posted on social media show the red and blue building clearly damaged and surrounded by debris.
The earthquake took place at 12:47 p.m. local time at a depth of about 35 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This was followed by an aftershock of 5.5 magnitude.
At least one person died in a hospital following the earthquake, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told CNN, citing preliminary information gathered on the ground and media reports.

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Katie Greenwood, the Fiji-based regional head of the organization, told CNN: “For the Pacific, it’s the worst … I have seen in terms of earthquake damage.”
Journalist Dan McGarry wrote on X: “I spoke with police on the scene, and while they would not confirm a casualty figure, they said that the number was definitely greater than the one death already confirmed.”
The extent of the damage is currently unclear as phone lines have been disrupted and official websites were offline following the earthquake, the Associated Press reported.
An initial tsunami warning was called off within two hours of the earthquake.
Damage to the complex that houses the U.S. embassy along with the diplomatic missions of the U.K., France and New Zealand, was confirmed by New Zealand’s foreign ministry, according to CNN.
The U.S. only opened its embassy in Vanuatu in July this year in an effort to build up its diplomatic presence in the Pacific.
Vanuatu comprises around 80 islands and is home to about 330,000 people. The Pacific nation is located on a subduction zone that is one of the most active on earth, and this makes earthquakes exceeding magnitude 6 a common occurrence.
The most significant earthquake recorded in the area was a magnitude 7.9 event, which struck in December 1950.