The island nation of Vanuatu has been rocked by a deadly 7.3-magnitude earthquake which hit just 30 kilometers west of the capital of Port Vila.
The earthquake took place at 9:47am on Tuesday and was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock. Numerous aftershocks were subsequently registered.
A tsunami warning was raised but was later cancelled.
The island-nation has been placed under a seven-day state of emergency by its caretaker prime minister Charlot Salwai, including a curfew between 6pm and 6am.


According to reports, many large buildings in Port Vila have collapsed, with images shared online showing significant damage to the diplomatic missions of the United States, New Zealand, France and the UK.
Electricity is out and the water supply has been largely disrupted for most of the capital region.
There have been numerous reports of fatalities, however communications outages have been experienced across the nation, making it difficult to get an accurate picture of the extent of the tragedy.
Authorities from neighboring regions, including Australia and New Zealand, have noted that they are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to support.
Governments, individuals, and companies – including gaming operators based out of Vanuatu – are struggling to learn the condition and whereabouts of colleagues, staff, friends and family amongst the communications blackouts.
Authorities urge those seeking information to contact their relevant diplomatic missions, as most local government websites and lines of contact are down.
Major landslides have also been reported, including one at the Port Vila wharf, while the road connecting Port Vila to the international shipping terminal is said to have been completely blocked by landslides.
Despite being located in one of the most active subduction zones in the world, residents told media that this was the worst natural disaster they had experienced.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), there is a 41 percent chance that there will be between 10 and 100 fatalities, with a 20 percent chance of between 100 and 1,000.
The USGS also estimates that the earthquake has caused economic losses of between 1 and 9 percent of the island nation’s GDP.
The 80-islands making up the archipelago of Vanuatu house some 330,000 people, while Port Vila has a population of around 36,000.
Assistance efforts will continue to ramp up as more information comes in.
AGB will provide new updates on avenues for assistance to those affected by the natural disaster, providing links below.
AGB sends its sincere condolences to those affected by this tragedy.