The 7.3 magnitude earthquake, centred 30 kilometres west of Port Vila at a depth of 57 kilometres, was followed by a 5.5 aftershock. While authorities assess the full extent of the damage, disrupted phone lines and offline government websites have delayed official updates.
The Red Cross has reported significant damage and details remain unclear but there were no reports of casualties. A tsunami warning for the island nation was cancelled less than two hours after the quake.
Vanuatu, a Pacific nation of 330,000 people, sits on the "Ring of Fire", an active zone around the rim of the Pacific tectonic plate.
