India has extended relief assistance of USD 500,000 to Vanuatu to support relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts following a devastating earthquake that claimed 14 lives and injured more than 250 persons.
On December 17, an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck near Vanuatu’s coast in the South Pacific Ocean, causing major destruction and loss of life.
Two Chinese nationals were also killed in the earthquake.
The Indian government said that it has reached out to Vanuatu, its close friend and partner under the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), with this relief assistance.
The government said that it is also a gesture of solidarity with the friendly people of Vanuatu.
On December 18, aftershocks continued to rattle the island nation of 330,000 people.
Footage posted on social media showed vehicles crushed under the debris, boulders strewn across a highway and landslides near Port Vila’s international shipping terminal.
National broadcaster VBTC showed people queuing for fuel and essentials as power, water and communications were disrupted.
There were 14 confirmed deaths including four in one collapsed building, the National Disaster Management office said in a report.
More than 200 persons were injured, police said, and triage tents were set up outside Port Vila’s hospital to manage the influx of patients.
UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Vanuatu Eric Durpaire said water contamination was a major concern after the earthquake.
The Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that India extended its deep condolences to the government and the people of Vanuatu for the damage and destruction caused by the unprecedented disaster.
India has also conveyed its readiness to extend all possible support and assistance to Vanuatu in this time of difficulty.
India has firmly stood by Vanuatu during times of difficulty and devastation caused by natural disasters.
An important pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI), announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019, is Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
The MEA said that India is committed to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and continues to be a responsible and steadfast responder in the region.
After the quake, caretaker Prime Minister Charlot Salwai said a national disaster committee declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew for seven days in the worst-affected areas.
International assistance was also sought.
The United States Agency for International Development announced that it was sending a team to Vanuatu, where it keeps relief supplies pre-positioned in Port Vila.
Australia’s government also sent a 64-person disaster response team with two dogs to undertake urban search and rescue operations.
Apart from this team, the Australian government sent a team of Australian Federal Police, to Vanuatu.
The French Ambassador to Vanuatu, Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, said a French military helicopter had arrived from New Caledonia with satellite communications and military engineers
Port Vila’s international airport was closed to commercial airlines for 72 hours, to allow medical and emergency aircraft to land, Airports Vanuatu CEO Jason Rakau told VBTC.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated 116,000 people, around one-third of the country’s population, had been affected by the earthquake.
The tropical island nation, located on the seismically active ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, is ranked among the world’s most at-risk countries for natural disasters and extreme weather events.
(With inputs from Reuters)
