Pentecost Island, Vanuatu, September 13, 2005. Illustration. MARC LE CHELARD / AFP An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred on Tuesday, December 17, off the coast of Vanuatu, in the Pacific, announced the United States Geological Survey (USGS) . The epicenter of this earthquake (initially measured at 7.4 magnitude) was recorded at a depth of 43 kilometers, but only thirty kilometers west of Port Vila, the capital of this island nation, located more than 600 kilometers northeast of New Caledonia. “Tsunami waves were observed,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin. This organization finally lifted its tsunami alert shortly after. Low tsunami waves were also feared in Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. The earthquake damaged the building housing the American and French embassies in Port Vila, according to videos posted online and verified by Agence France-Presse. A concrete pillar was toppled, a wall was cracked and windows in the building were deformed. The complex also houses the diplomatic representations of other countries including New Zealand, again according to images shared on social networks. Read later Le Monde with AFP The contributions area is reserved for subscribers. Subscribe to access this discussion space and contribute to the discussion. Subscribe Contribute Reuse this content
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