At least 14 people were killed and 200 injured in the strong earthquake in Vanuatu, the South Pacific.

The death toll from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in waters near the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu yesterday (17th) has risen to at least 14, Reuters reported.

"At least 200 people are being treated in hospital for injuries and 14 have been confirmed dead," Katie Greenwood, head of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Pacific delegation, said in a post on social media X.

Greenwood also said work is underway to rescue people trapped in the rubble of buildings collapsed by the strong earthquake, adding that emergency supplies and drinking water are urgently needed.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNOCHA, estimates that 116,000 people, or about a third of Vanuatu's total population, have been affected by the earthquake, and the number of casualties is expected to rise over time.