- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin to talk gas deliveries
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Lonely this Christmas: Vendee skippers in low-key celebrations on high seas
- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Germany pledges security inquest into Christmas market attack
- Death toll in Brazil bus crash rises to 41
- Joshua bout only fight left for beaten Fury says promoter Hearn
- Odermatt stays hot to break Swiss World Cup wins record
- Neville says Rashford's career at Man Utd nearing 'inevitable ending'
- Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
- Putin vows 'destruction' on Ukraine after Kazan drone attack
- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
- France awaits appointment of new government
Rescuers hunt for survivors in Vanuatu capital, 14 feared dead
Rescue teams dug for survivors trapped beneath crumpled buildings in Vanuatu on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake struck the capital Port Vila, leaving at least 14 people reported dead.
People called out from beneath the rubble of one three-storey shop in the city, where scores of rescuers worked through the night to find them, resident Michael Thompson told AFP by satellite phone.
"We got three people out that were trapped. Unfortunately, one of them did not make it," he said.
About 80 people including police, medics, trained rescuers and volunteers were using excavators, jack hammers, grinders and concrete saws, "just everything we can get our hands on".
When rescuers on the site went quiet, they could still hear three people within signalling they were alive on Wednesday morning, Thompson said.
"There's tonnes and tonnes of rubble on top of them. And two rather significant concrete beams that have pancaked down," he said. "Obviously they are lucky to be in a bit of a void."
The 7.3-magnitude quake struck off Vanuatu's main island, at 12:47 pm local time (0147 GMT) Tuesday.
It flattened large buildings, cracked walls and windows, knocked down bridges, and set off landslides in the low-lying archipelago of 320,000 people.
- 'We could hear screams' -
A string of aftershocks has since shaken the Pacific island nation, which lies in the quake-prone Pacific Rim of Fire.
The earthquake knocked out most telecommunications networks. Airlines suspended flights citing reported damage to the runway. A landslide fell near the main international shipping port.
Katie Greenwood, head of the Red Cross in the Pacific, wrote on X that Vanuatu's government had reported 14 confirmed fatalities and 200 injured people being treated at the capital's main hospital.
The ground floor of a four-storey concrete block in Port Vila -- used by US, French, British, Australian and New Zealand diplomatic missions -- was flattened, AFP photos showed.
US, French and Australian staff who were inside are safe, the three countries have said.
Thompson, who runs a zipline adventure business in Vanuatu, said he had seen at least three bodies in the city.
Shortly after the quake he drove near the airport past a toppled four-storey block. Its ground floor had collapsed under the upper stories.
"When we slowed down with the windows down, we could hear screams coming from inside," he said.
The quake crushed four large buildings in Port Vila, triggered a landslide that covered a bus, and demolished at least two bridges, Thompson said.
- Broken glass, debris -
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs cited earlier unconfirmed reports of at least six dead and estimated 116,000 people could be affected by the worst impacts of the quake.
The hospital in Port Vila had been damaged, with tents set up outside for the influx of patients, it said, adding there was also significant disruption to telecommunications and the two main water reservoirs had been damaged.
"Immediate response efforts are ongoing as humanitarian partners and authorities work to overcome access and communication challenges," it said in a situation update.
Some people injured in the quake were driven in flat-bed trucks to the Port Vila hospital where others lay in stretchers outside or sat on plastic chairs, their arms and heads wrapped in bandages, public television VBTC images showed.
Video posted by Thompson and verified by AFP showed buildings that folded to the ground, and streets strewn with broken glass and other debris from the wreckage.
Vanuatu is ranked as one of the countries most susceptible to natural disasters such as earthquakes, storm damage, flooding and tsunamis, according to the annual World Risk Report.
L.Harper--AMWN