South Pacific Vanuatu magnitude 7.3 earthquake...At least one person died.

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck waters near the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu at around 12:50 p.m. local time today, killing at least one person, Reuters reported.

It is feared that the number of people will increase further as the building is believed to have collapsed and several people have been laid.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter is 30 kilometers west of Port Villa, Vanuatu's capital, with a depth of 10 kilometers.

Several buildings collapsed in Port Villa, and a building housing the embassies of the United States, France, Britain and New Zealand also collapsed, halting embassy operations.

Also, a pile of dirt collapsed in the landslide hit the road, burying the bus and cutting off two bridges, AFP reported.

After the earthquake, Vanuatu government websites were also disconnected, and local police could not be reached, the AP said.

Vanuatu consists of 80 islands and has a population of about 330,000.


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