New Zealand / World

Second NZ rescue plane arrives in Vanuatu as one breaks down

2024-12-19T17:42:03+13:00

Local authorities have been working around the clock since Tuesday to try to locate and rescue people trapped in the rubble left by the magnitude 7.3 earthquake. December 2024 Photo: Vanuatu Police Force

Death toll from Vanuatu earthquake expected to rise

The search for people trapped in rubble and landslides is continuing today as the New Zealand Defence Force arrives in Port Vila.

The Defence Force was delayed arriving into Vanuatu after a fault on one of the older Hercules plane.

Labour said it was embarrassing, but a new Hercules plane has landed in Port Vila and a second is on the way to Noumea.

More than 300 aftershocks have been felt since the big quake on Tuesday.

And the official death toll was revised down to nine, though it was expected to rise. Two Chinese nationals were among the dead.

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