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La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, December 17, 2024, p. 24

Welington. A magnitude 7.3 earthquake was recorded today off the coast of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, the United States Geological Survey reported. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 57 kilometers and had its epicenter 30 kilometers west of Port Vila, the island nation’s largest city. The tremor was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock near the same location. At press time, it was unknown if there was any damage, but Vanuatu government websites were down, while phone numbers for police and other public safety agencies were unresponsive. The United States Geological Survey warned of the possibility of tsunami waves for some coasts in Vanuatu, an archipelago of 80 islands where about 330,000 people reside.