More fatalities are feared. A witness tells the news agency AFP that he has seen bodies in the capital Port Vila.
Images on social media show damaged buildings in the archipelago, but the extent 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.
According to the US Embassy in Papua New Guinea, all personnel in Vanuatu are safe after successfully evacuating the building in time, AFP writes.
A building belonging to the Red Cross also suffered damage.
The earthquake, which also triggered landslides, 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. A tsunami warning was issued but was later cancelled.
New Zealand's Civil Defense Minister Mark Mitchell says that they are ready to provide assistance, reports The New Zealand Herald.
