‘The earth trembles’: Vanuatu residents describe earthquake

An earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck 23 km west-northwest of Port Olrey, Vanuatu. Photo: Supplied/Lili Lowe

The people of Vanuatu were left in a state of panic following the earthquake that struck the region Sunday evening with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale.

The US Geological Survey said five aftershocks followed the first long, strong tremor, which struck 23 kilometers west-northwest of Port Olry at a depth of about 28 kilometers.

Tsunami alerts were issued but lifted soon after.

Lily Lowe, a landlord in Sanma County, said she could barely stand when she was trying to escape.

“It was 11:40 and I was fast asleep,” she said. “I just fell out of my room.”

“It’s like somebody’s digging up the house and trying to move it, so I was like, What’s going on?

“When I woke up, I found everything lying on the floor and was rushing down the stairs trying to find a way out.

“Everyone was scared and ran away from the house because we are close to the sea and everyone was looking at the sea,” Lowe said.

Santo shop in Vanuatu damaged by the earthquake. Photo: Supplied/T Malaba

It was a similar story for the tour operator, Oka Fukor Harris, who said his children ran to him scared and hugged him.

Then he ran outside to check on his customers in the huts.

“When the earthquake comes, they all wrap around me and hold me tight, it’s like a big machine is moving, a heavy machine, a bulldozer, and the earth seems to tremble,” Harris said.

Neither occupant reported any major damage. Lowe said she has cracks in her home but nothing major.

Santo Hardware General Manager Leighton Shearer and his family also felt the earthquake.

They are from New Zealand where they experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Kaikoura in New Zealand’s South Island.

Photo courtesy of Santo Hardware: Supplied/Leighton Shearer

“It was definitely a big jolt. You could hear it and it woke my wife up.”

“We managed to get under the door frame before it hit but our 13-year-old fell asleep through it.

He also fell asleep during the Kaikoura earthquake in 2016…it’s his super power…lol..

“We had no damage in our house except for a fan/light falling from the bathroom ceiling. The pool lost a little water and some images moved. There were quite a few aftershocks, reminiscent of the Kaikoura earthquake,” said Leighton Shearer.

Photo courtesy of Santo Hardware: Supplied/Leighton Shearer

The RNZ has tried to contact the local police and emergency department but has not been able to reach them yet.

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