Australian medical teams and search and rescue experts are departing Australia this morning for Vanuatu to help the Pacific island deal with the devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake which has flattened many buildings across the capital Port Vila.
Widespread, shocking damage included vehicles being crushed under collapsed structures and the partial caving in of a multistorey building housing the high commissions of New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the US and French embassies.
US and French embassy staff are safe, the two countries said. The United States closed its embassy until further notice. France said its mission was “destroyed”.
Foreign minister Penny Wong said from NATO headquarters in Brussels: “We have seen reports of awful damage and we have a request for assistance from Vanuatu so I have engaged with my counterpart and we are deploying assistance. A C17 (Boeing militaryaircraft) is departing with medical teams and rescue teams and other assistance.’’
Ms Wong’s told the people of Vanuatu, a nation of 80 islands and home to about 330,000 people, that Australia “stands with you”.
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