JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS – The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its Embassy in Canberra, has been actively trying to reach Indonesian citizens, the diaspora, and associates in the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu following a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the region on Tuesday morning.

The embassy’s efforts to establish contact have proven difficult, as communication lines remain down.

According to Hartyo Harkomoyo, Director of Information and Media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy has also been trying to reach Vanuatu’s officials and contact points, but these attempts have so far been unsuccessful. He reported that the telecommunications infrastructure in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, has been severely disrupted.

The earthquake, which occurred at approximately 08:47 WIB, struck off the coast of Vanuatu with a depth of 50 kilometers. As of now, the Ministry has confirmed that there are 48 Indonesian nationals in Vanuatu, including 47 crew members of ships and one Indonesian citizen married to a foreign national.

The tremor, which triggered concerns about a potential tsunami, did not have any significant impact on Indonesia, according to the Indonesian Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG). Despite the initial tsunami warnings, the situation in Indonesia remains unaffected.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located 47 kilometers southwest of Port Vila, with the quake being caused by the subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate beneath the Pacific Plate. This tectonic activity, moving at a rate of 92 millimeters per year, resulted in a shallow earthquake.

BMKG’s Director of Earthquake and Tsunami, Daryono, explained that although the earthquake caused a local tsunami, it did not have any significant effects on Indonesia. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii issued a report indicating that tsunami waves reached heights of up to 0.25 meters at Port Vila’s Tide Gauge and smaller waves were recorded at other locations.

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