Photo:VCG

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian expressed China's deep sympathies to Vanuatu over the earthquake disaster in Vanuatu during a briefing on Wednesday. Two Chinese citizens have been confirmed dead, and two others have been injured in the earthquake, Lin noted.

We hope and believe that the government and people of Vanuatu will pull through this trying time and that life and work will return to normal as soon as possible. China's medical team in Vanuatu is actively helping treat the injured at the local hospital, Lin noted.  

A Chinese company there voluntarily provided machinery to help the quake relief, which was welcomed by the local government and people. China will keep in close contact with the government of Vanuatu and provide timely support for its quake relief effort, he said. 

In the wake of the earthquake, the Chinese Embassy in Vanuatu has been checking with various sources the safety of Chinese nationals in Vanuatu and coordinating with local rescue and relief teams to make all-out rescue efforts, according to the spokesperson.

So far, two Chinese nationals have lost their lives and two injured in the earthquake. Our Embassy has sent personnel to the scene and will do everything we can to assist the effort to save lives, treat the injured and make proper arrangements for the deceased. 

The Foreign Ministry and our Embassy in Vanuatu will continue to follow the rescue and relief effort and provide consular protection and assistance to Chinese nationals and institutions in Vanuatu, Lin said. 

Rescuers conduct search and rescue operations following a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake which killed at least 14 people, in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Two Chinese citizens have been confirmed dead, and two others were injured in the earthquake, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on December 18, 2024. Photo: VCG

 

Previously, it was reported that two Chinese are among the deceased in the earthquake in Vanuatu, and have been preliminarily identified as Chinese citizens or persons of Chinese descent from East China's Fujian Province. Their specific identities and names were still being verified with local police, Gu Zihua, charge d 'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Vanuatu, told the Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday.

Gu said that after the earthquake, one of the two Chinese victims was trapped in a collapsed self-built building along with two others. Upon receiving the news, personnel from the embassy and Chinese enterprises quickly rushed to the rescue. Around 11 pm on Tuesday night, two of the trapped individuals were rescued, while one person unfortunately did not make it. On that day, a commercial building in the city center of the capital collapsed, trap-ping many people inside. Embassy personnel confirmed that one Chinese citizen or was among the casualties.

China is deeply saddened by the casualties and losses caused by the earthquake in Vanuatu, and China is ready to provide emergency assistance according to Vanuatu's need, said Li Ming, spokesman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) on Wednesday, according to the official WeChat account of the CIDCA.

The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu was hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday. Officials of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Wednesday that the earthquake had killed at least 14 people, according to CCTV News.

The earthquake hit at a depth of 57 kilometers and was centered 30 kilometers west of Port Vila, the largest city in Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands home to about 330,000 people. A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake, which was followed by large aftershocks, according to media reports.

Global Times