Rescue efforts on as 7.3 quake flattens buildings in Vanuatu

A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila including one used by foreign embassies, with a witness saying bodies were lying in the city.

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The 7.3-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 57 kms, some 30 kms off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu's main island, at 12:47 pm, according to the US Geological Survey.

A 5.5-magnitude aftershock struck minutes later, followed by a string of lesser tremors shaking the low-lying archipelago of 3,20,000 people that lies in the quake-prone Pacific Rim of Fire.