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Earthquake strikes Pacific island
The quake was felt through much of the Vanuatu nation |
An earthquake and tsunami have struck one of the islands of the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, killing at least eight people and causing widespread damage.
The undersea earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter Scale, struck off Pentecost Island, destroying homes and setting off landslides that wiped out roads and some telephone lines.
"It is quite a populated island and the damage is very extensive - landslides, buildings collapsed and roads damaged," said Leiwa Pakoa, operations officer at Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office.
Evacuation
The earthquake set off a tsunami, or giant wave, which crashed over the southern part of the island about 30 minutes later, destroying homes in villages along the coast.
About 100 people were injured, most in the earthquake. Dozens were being evacuated to neighbouring islands and to the capital, Port Vila, for treatment while medical teams rushed to the island were treating others on Pentecost.
The quake was felt through much of the nation, a group of about 80 islands 1,550 miles north-east of Sydney, but the worst-hit island was Pentecost, which has a population of about 12,000.
Pentecost is famous for its residents' so-called "land dives". Divers jump from wooden scaffolds with vines tied to their ankles.
Vanuatu has a population of 190,000
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See also: |
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22 Sep 99 | World |
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Deadly history of earthquakes |
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30 Nov 98 | Asia-Pacific |
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Quake rocks Indonesian islands |
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30 Nov 98 | Asia-Pacific |
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Killer waves so hard to detect |
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20 Jul 98 | Asia-Pacific |
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Tidal wave kills 'thousands' |
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Internet links: |
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NASA Observatorium: Tsunami |
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Current Earthquake Activity |
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Vanuatu Government |
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