A witness tells the news agency AFP that he saw bodies in the capital Port Vila.
Images on social media show damaged buildings in the archipelago, but the extent of the damage is still unclear. One of the buildings that was damaged housed the American, British, French, and New Zealand embassies. The ground floor is said to have been crushed under the floors above.
It no longer exists. It's completely flat, says resident Michael Thompson to AFP over the phone.
If anyone was in there, they're gone now.
A building belonging to the Red Cross also suffered damage.
A tsunami warning was issued but was later cancelled. The quake triggered landslides.
The quake was registered 30 kilometers west of Vanuatu's capital Port Vila just before 3 am Swedish time. An aftershock with a magnitude of 5.5 followed shortly after.
New Zealand's Civil Defence Minister Mark Mitchell says they are ready to provide assistance, reports The New Zealand Herald.
