The Indonesian Embassy In Canberra Successfully Contacted Indonesian Citizens In Vanuatu Post-Earthquake, Here's The Condition

Officers among the ruins of buildings caused by the earthquake in Vanuatu. (Twitter/@geotechwar)

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Canberra, Australia has succeeded in contact with Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were in Vanuatu after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 hit the country on Tuesday.

Deputy Head of Indonesian Representatives at the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra Lintang Paramitasari said, in a short message, communication networks began to connect and could get news from Indonesian citizens in Vanuatu, as quoted Wednesday, December 18.

Meanwhile, the Korfung Protocol and Consular of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra Haryo Adil Wicaksono said that Indonesian citizens in Vanuatu said that their current condition was fine and no one was injured.

"It's just that conditions at Port Villa are still destroyed, many parts of the road are damaged, buildings collapsed, buildings damaged and electricity facilities, water and telephone have not returned to normal," he wrote in a short message to VOI.

Haryo said, Broadly speaking, no Indonesian citizens were displaced due to yesterday's earthquake.

"Most of the Indonesian citizens living in Vanuatu work as crew members of inter-island ferry boats, and information from them today the ferries are operational and they are already working as normal," he explained.

"Meanwhile, Indonesian citizens who work as restaurant owners there, are still unable to work anymore because the condition of the mall where the restaurant is in a badly damaged condition," he added.

As previously reported, at least 14 people were killed, including two Chinese nationals, and 200 others were injured as a result of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked Port Villa, the capital of Vanuatu here, as rescue teams searched on Wednesday.

interim Prime Minister Charlot Salwai said the national disaster committee had declared a state of emergency, imposing a seven-day curfew in the worst-affected area.

Yesterday's earthquake damaged commercial buildings, embassies and a hospital. Police Commissioner Vanuatu Robson Iavro in a video message, rescue efforts were focused on the two collapsed buildings.