BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manela has on behalf of the Government and the people of Solomon Islands passed a sympathy and condolence message to the people of Vanuatu.
PM Manale made a profound message on the floor of parliament yesterday during the Sine Die Motion.
“Mr. Speaker, at the outset let me take this opportunity first of all on behalf of the government and people of Solomon Islands to extend our sincere sympathies and condolences to the Prime Minister, the government and the people of Vanuatu following the devastating earthquake yesterday (Tuesday), 7.3 and this morning (Wednesday) I understand another big one, 6.1 on the Rector scale. There has been a loss of lives and properties and infrastructure damage.
“So, our prayers and thoughts are with our brothers and sisters in Vanuatu. An official condolence message is being sent to the government and people of Vanuatu,’’ said Manele.
Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation News (VBTC News) Families are temporarily living in tents and seeking safety following a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on December 17, 2024, 30 km West of Port-Vila, Vanuatu.
The VBTC reported that the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office in its response has activated 7 days of State of Emergency (SOE) for Life-saving and emergency response as the top priority.
The VBTC said that the National Disaster Management Office said that early recovery efforts are now in effect as of today (Wednesday 18), following the official signing last (Tuesday 17) night.
It reported that the Vanuatu National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) has been activated to coordinate response efforts.
The secretary-general of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society Dickinson Tevi told ABC news channel the death toll from the earthquake is expected to increase as there are still bodies to be recovered.
Earlier this morning, the humanitarian organisation had updated the death toll in Vanuatu to 14 according to ABC.
“Several numbers are going around,” Dickinson Tevi told ABC News Channel.
“I haven’t had the chance to check on the [latest] numbers, but I know that we still have people trapped under the debris, or in a landslide. So, the number should be expected to increase anyway,’’ Tevi told ABC.
Mr Tevi told ABC News that the Red Cross Society has deployed volunteers to assist the central hospital, and to conduct an assessment of the extent of the damage around the island.
