THE Government of Vanuatu has declared a seven-day state of emergency following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake which struck the Pacific island nation’s capital Port Vila yesterday.
An update from Smartraveller this morning confirmed the quake – and subsequent aftershock this morning – have caused wide infrastructure damage in Port Vila and surrounding regions, including airports, roads and transport services.
Qantas Group has confirmed that Jetstar has scrapped all operations today due to limited details on runway damage.
A scheduled Qantas service on Fri and a Jetstar flight tomorrow may still go ahead, however the company said it will continue to monitor the situation as more information becomes available.
Virgin Australia was also contacted for comment.
Disruptions have also caused itinerary adjustments for cruise lines scheduled to visit Port Vila over the next week, with Carnival telling Travel Daily that Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will no longer make calls over the next week.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean has also pulled the trigger on changes, confirming Quantum of the Seas will not call at Port Vila today, diverting to Mystery Island in Vanuatu instead.
“Our thoughts go out to all those affected by the devastating earthquake,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said.
Essential communication services such as phone and internet utilities have also been disrupted by the disaster.
The Federal Government has urged Australian travellers caught up in the quake to register with the DFAT crisis registration portal HERE, while requests for emergency consular assistance should be directed to the Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 in Australia or 61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia.
At the time of publishing, reports on the ground suggest 14 people have been killed by the quake, & that number is expected to rise, with hundreds trapped under collapsed buildings.
Despite the acute tragedy unfolding in Port Vila, Chair of the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council, Glen Craig, has called on Aussies not to cancel their trips.
“Most of the properties are still in a position to still host your holiday, and all of the normal resorts and activities will still be open,” Craig told Today.
“[The damage] is really concentrated among a few buildings in the CBD of Port Vila.
“It is going to be a very intense clean up over the next few days because…so we are telling everyone to keep with us…and let us do the clean up.” AB
