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At least one person is dead and a mass casualty triage has been set up after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Vanuatu.
The quake was registered about 20 kilometres from the coast of Vanuatu's capital Port Vila about 12.47pm (AEDT).
There is no tsunami threat to Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed.
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At least one person has died as a mass casualty triage is set up at the local hospital.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is looking to confirm the impact of the earthquake.
"(DFAT) is urgently seeking information from the Australian High Commission in Port Villa to ascertain the impact of the earthquake on any Australians in Vanuatu and the local population," a spokesperson said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong added that Vanuatu is "family and we will always be there in times of need".
"We are closely monitoring the situation in Vanuatu following this afternoon's devastating earthquake," she said.
"We stand ready to support Vanuatu, as the extent of the damage is assessed."
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Footage posted to social media appeared to show damage to the outside of the US Embassy in Port Vila.
Another video appearing to be from the aftermath of the quake showed several cars crushed underneath a collapsed building.
The extent of the damage is not yet known, but it is believed that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings.
Early data from the United States Geological Survey indicates the quake was registered at a depth of 57 kilometres.
The jolt was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock at the same location.
Vanuatu government websites were offline in the aftermath of the quake and phone numbers for the police and other public agencies did not connect.
A Red Cross spokesperson in Fiji said the head of the aid agency's Vanuatu office had reported widespread damage before communications were cut off.
A building housing a number of diplomatic missions in Port Vila — including those of the United States, Britain, France and New Zealand — was significantly damaged, New Zealand's Foreign Ministry said. Officials were in the process of accounting for New Zealand High Commission staff, a spokesperson said.
Katie Greenwood, the Fiji-based head of the Asia-Pacific regional office for the Red Cross, told ABC the downtown area of Port Vila was full of large buildings and hotels.
"We haven't heard at the moment about any casualties, but I will be shocked if we don't hear that bad news coming through from Port Vila at some point," she said.
In the hours after the quake, the USGS said a tsunami threat had passed. The agency had earlier warned of waves of up to 1 metre (3 feet) above the tide level.
https://twitter.com/BOM_au/status/1868840044158652789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
An update from SmartTraveller warned Australians in the area to move to high ground.
Australians are also advised to monitor local media for emergency updates and follow the advice of local authorities.
Australians in need of assistance should contact the Australian government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (within Australia) or +61 6261 3305 (from overseas).
