A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific island of Vanuatu on Tuesday, December 17, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila, including one housing the US and other embassies, with a witness telling Agence France-Presse (AFP) of bodies seen in the city. The 7.3-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 57 kilometers, some 30 kilometers off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu's main island, at 12:47 pm (0147 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.

The building housing New Zealand's High Commission and other diplomatic missions in Vanuatu sustained "significant damage" from the quake, a statement from Foreign Minister Winston Peters' office said. "Our High Commission building, which is co-located with the United States, the French and the United Kingdom, has sustained significant damage," it said. "New Zealand is deeply concerned about the significant earthquake in Vanuatu, and the damage it has caused."

The United States has closed its embassy until further notice, citing "considerable damage" to the mission, the US embassy in Papua New Guinea said in a message on social media. "Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this earthquake," the embassy said.

The New Zealand High Commission, housed in the same building, suffered "significant damage", a statement from Foreign Minister Winston Peters' office said. "New Zealand is deeply concerned about the significant earthquake in Vanuatu, and the damage it has caused."

A tsunami warning was issued after the quake, with waves of up to one meter forecast for some areas of Vanuatu, but it was soon lifted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago of 320,000 people that straddles the seismic Ring of Fire, an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Vanuatu is ranked as one of the countries most susceptible to natural disasters such as earthquakes, storm damage, flooding and tsunamis, according to the annual World Risk Report.