Port Vila, Vanuatu - December 17, 2024 Emergency response efforts are ongoing in disaster-hit Vanuatu as work continues to rescue possible survivors, treat injured victims and restore communications following Tuesday's devastating earthquake, an official from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Wednesday. The 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck at 12:47 local time Tuesday with its epicenter being just 30 km from the Pacific Island nation's capital of Port Vila. At least 14 people have died, including two Chinese nationals, while hundreds more have been injured in the quake, which has resulted in widespread damage, building collapses, and triggered landslides, with multiple aftershocks also being reported. In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) via video link from Port Vila, Katie Greenwood, head of the Pacific delegation of the IFRC, said preliminary communications are being gradually repaired in the country as the urgent rescue work goes on. Greenwood also stressed that the current focus of the rescue operation is still on searching for survivors who may be trapped beneath the rubble. Various nations including Australia and New Zealand have dispatched rescue crews to aid Vanuatu following the earthquake, while a Chinese spokesman said the country stands ready to provide emergency assistance in accordance with the needs of Vanuatu. While local efforts are continuing in earnest, Greenwood said the island nation is still in dire need of outside assistance and called for more help from the international community. Shotlist: Port Vila, Vanuatu - Dec 17, 2024: 1. Video taken by overseas Chinese resident showing crack on road after earthquake; Port Vila, Vanuatu - Dec 18, 2024 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Katie Greenwood, head, delegation of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Pacific (ending with shot 3): "Communications are steadily being restored in Vanuatu and we have managed to be speaking a number of times today with the Red Cross team on the ground in Vanuatu and who are actively making plans and coordinating with authorities around how they can respond to the affected population. They are also restoring family links. So there is communication able to be made with people outside of Vanuatu and across different provinces within Vanuatu."; 3. Various of photos showing damage on road, rubble of collapsed buildings, residents, pedestrians; 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Katie Greenwood, head, delegation of IFRC Pacific (ending with shot 3): "The buildings that have collapsed, that's still very much the focus of the search and rescue efforts for authorities who are looking for survivors in the rubble and for those who've been very severely injured. That is a big focus of the response. There is also a major focus in supporting those who are attending hospitals with their injuries. [The] very critically injured have been moved to a military base to support their needs. And the Red Cross is also helping with deploying a first-aid team to the hospital."; 5. Various of photos showing damage, broken glass windows of building; landslide; 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Katie Greenwood, head, delegation of IFRC Pacific (ending with shot 3): "From our side, from the humanitarian response with the community, we are also looking at the provision of some additional assistance from outside the country. Again it's around emergency shelter and water and sanitation needs that will probably be pressing over the immediate days and the next couple of weeks for sure. And so, yes, international assistance, but the local response so far has been astounding as well, really just people working around the clock."; 7. Various of photos showing crack on road, rubble by roadside. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]