A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake has struck the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
The quake struck 30km west of Port Vila, the country’s largest city, at a depth of 57km. It was followed by another earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale.
A tsunami warning for the island nation was lifted less than two hours after the quake.
Reports of widespread damage have begun to emerge as communication lines remain down.
Telephone numbers for police, hospitals and other public agencies are down and there are no immediate reports of casualties.
A building in Port Vila housing the diplomatic missions of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and New Zealand suffered significant damage.
