Repatriation flights bring Australians home after devastating earthquake in Vanuatu
Two RAAF flights delivered humanitarian supplies to Vanuatu and brought Aussies home this weekend, as another major earthquake hit the battered island.
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Two RAAF flights to Vanuatu were scheduled for this weekend as Australia also delivered humanitarian supplies to those in need.
The news came as another large earthquake hit the main island early Sunday. magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu’s main island early Sunday but did not appear to have caused major damage, five days after a more powerful quake wreaked havoc and killed 12 people.
A total of 424 Australians have now been brought back to Brisbane, and Port Vila airport is expected to be open Sunday when Qantas and other flights will resume to help those stranded book flights home.
Humanitarian aid delivered to the capital included personal hygiene kits to reduce infection risk, tools and hardware for repairs of basic shelter and tarpaulins.
It comes after Aussies relieved to be back on home soil have spoken of the moment “everything shook” when a devastating magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck Vanuatu on Wednesday.
Liau Ningiga from Cairns arrived home to Queensland with her two sons Jeremy, LeBron on a repatriation flight on Thursday following the disaster and said she was glad to be back.
“We were staying at the Ramada. It shook really badly, we didn’t know what to do,” Ms Ningiga said.
“We are happy to be home.”
Brooke Taylor was travelling with Ms Ningiga and was on her way to go zip lining when the earthquake struck.
“we were waiting for the bus to come and get us. Everything started shaking,” Ms Taylor said.
“That was the 7.3 earthquake. After that we got the after shocks. We were directly in the centre where the earthquake hit.
“Probably around five o’clock, we lost power but we had a generator going, and we lost power, and we had no water, couldn’t use the toilets, couldn’t drink. We had limited food.”
Australian disaster response specialists went to Vanuatu to help carry out search and rescue missions after the earthquake hit on Tuesday, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila, while another strong tremor struck the island nation on Wednesday.
The death toll is now at least 14, including a young mother who had just wrapped up nine months of working in Queensland, according to the AAP.
The 26-year-old woman, known only as Valerie, was found crushed in a collapsed building.
Rescuers are still digging for survivors in the crumpled building, while others were buried in rubble and landslides, and calls for help can still be heard in some places.
Three survivors were pulled from the remains of a flattened three-storey shop overnight and resident Michael Thompson told AFP the effort took about 80 people — including police, medics, rescuers and volunteers — who used “everything we can get our hands on”.
“There’s tonnes and tonnes of rubble on top of them. And two rather significant concrete beams that have pancaked down... Obviously they are lucky to be in a bit of a void,” he said.
“We got three people out that were trapped. Unfortunately, one of them did not make it.”
The Australian government has deployed a $2 million immediate response package, which includes the 64-person disaster assistance response team as well as two dogs who will help recover people trapped within buildings and remove hazardous materials.
An Australian medical assistance team has also been deployed, as well as a team who will assist with humanitarian issues and a number of Australian Federal Police officers.
The teams were deployed via a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster and a C-130J Hercules, which has now touched down in the devastated island of Efate.
The Vanuatu government has declared a seven-day State of Emergency.
Smartraveller advises Australians “exercise normal safety precautions”.
“There is widespread infrastructure damage, including to roads and buildings. Landslides have occurred. Essential services, including telecommunications, have been disrupted. Transport services, including flights, have been impacted. Contact your airline for further information.,” the Smartraveller website says.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said: “Australia stands ready to assist the Vanuatu Government as required in this critical time.
“Australia’s connection with the government and people of Vanuatu is strong and we will continue to work with them in this time of need.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: “We send our deepest condolences following this dreadful tragedy. My message to the people of Vanuatu is Australia is here to help. This immediate package of support will ensure those in urgent need receive lifesaving assistance.”
“Australia and Vanuatu share a deep and enduring partnership. We are family and we will always be there in times of need.”
DFAT is aware of a number of Australians in the affected region and is providing consular assistance to those in need.
More than 200 people are said to have been treated for injuries.
Port Vila resident Michael Thompson said rescue crews were seen pulling three people alive from a collapsed building and this has offered hope to search and rescue volunteers.
The ground floor of a four-storey concrete block in Port Vila used by the US, French and other embassies was flattened, AFP photos showed.
But all US personnel were “safe and accounted for” after evacuating the building, the US embassy in Papua New Guinea said in a statement.
The United States closed the embassy until further notice.
“There’s people in the buildings in town. There were bodies there when we walked past,” resident Michael Thompson told AFP by satellite phone after posting images of the destruction on social media.
A landslide on one road had covered a bus, he said, “so there’s obviously some deaths there”.
As well as destroying the ground floor of the diplomatic building, the quake also knocked down at least two bridges and toppled other buildings, Mr Thompson said.
The bottom floor of the embassy block “no longer exists”, he said.
“It is just completely flat. The top three floors are still holding but they have dropped.”
“If there was anyone in there at the time, then they’re gone,” said Mr Thompson, who runs a zip line adventure business in Vanuatu.
New Zealand’s High Commission, which is in the same building as the US, French, British and Australian missions, also suffered “significant damage”, the government said.
Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago of 320,000 people that straddles the seismic Ring of Fire, an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Landslips sent tonnes of earth and large rocks tumbling down a steep hill over the international shipping terminal, images verified by AFP showed.
The port buildings did not appear to be damaged.
The quake cut off most mobile networks on the Pacific island, Mr Thompson said.
“They’re just cracking on with a rescue operation. The support we need from overseas is medical evacuation and skilled rescue, kind of people that can operate in earthquakes,” he said.
The streets of the city were strewn with broken glass and other debris from damaged buildings, his footage showed.
Video posted by Mr Thompson and verified by AFP showed uniformed rescuers working on a building that had collapsed, crushing parked cars and trucks below.
The streets of the city were strewn with broken glass and other debris from cracked buildings.
Nibhay Nand, a Sydney-based pharmacist with businesses across the South Pacific, said he had spoken to staff in Port Vila who said most of the store there had been “destroyed” and that other buildings nearby had “collapsed”.
“We are waiting for everyone to get online to know how devastating and traumatic this will be,” Nand told AFP.
A tsunami warning was issued after the quake, with waves of up to one metre (three feet) forecast for some areas of Vanuatu, but it was soon lifted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Australian citizens and permanent residents in Vanuatu can register with DFAT’s registration online portal to receive important information and updates and should read the latest travel advice at www.smartraveller.gov.au
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre (+61 6 261 3305 from overseas or 1300 555 135 in Australia).
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Originally published as Repatriation flights bring Australians home after devastating earthquake in Vanuatu
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