Port Vila residents recall frightening moments of earthquake
SUVA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-year-old Emma Thompson was at a restaurant in Port Villa, the capital of Vanuatu, when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday. "As soon as we started to take a few steps, the whole floor of the restaurant building dropped about 40 centimeters, and all the steel from the building was sticking out. I was on the floor with a statue all over my leg," she said. The quake hit 30 km west of Port Vila at 12:47 local time (0147 GMT), with a depth of 43 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Thompson recalled that a nearby building completely collapsed to the ground with numerous people stuck inside. "We don't have access to any heavy machinery ... because the bridges are down," she said, adding that efforts to get into collapsed buildings were hampered without heavy machinery to lift the rubble. A local Chinese supermarket owner told Xinhua that most of the country is experiencing power and water outages. With mobile communication networks disrupted, communication with the outside world mainly relies on "Starlink." The shop owner said while her shop was left a complete mess after the quake, she was relieved that her family and friends were all safe. "Earthquakes often happen here, but this time it was different," said Mr. Luo, who has lived in Vanuatu for over 10 years. "There are huge cracks everywhere in the house," he said, adding there were many aftershocks, which made him very nervous. A video circulating on social media shows a damaged building in Port Vila. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), it was the embassy building for Britain, the United States, France and New Zealand. U.S. Embassy Port Moresby issued a statement on Tuesday, saying the U.S. Embassy in Port Vila "has sustained considerable damage and is closed until further notice." Multiple airlines have had to cancel or divert their scheduled flights to and from Vanuatu after the earthquake. Fiji Airways had to turn a flight around in mid-air because its pilot was unable to contact Port Vila's airport to land, said the ABC. Currently, rescue operations are still underway in the country.