Vanuatu Red Cross Secretary General Dickinson Tevi says two women and a child were among those trapped in collapsed buildings in Port Vila.
Tevi said at least two buildings came “crashing down” and people remained trapped.
“Work is still going on to try and get people out.”
Tevi said he was told of three people – two women and a child – who were in one of the collapsed buildings. But he said he expected there would be more.
He said there were also substantial landslides which had hit buildings and blocked roads.
“This morning, it’s more obvious that we have a lot of land slides apart from the buildings that have been damaged.”
A lack of water due to the damage of Port Vila’s two tanks was the main concern for most people now, Tevi said.
“Everybody is without water now, I don’t know how soon they can repair those tanks.”
Vanuatu Red Cross was also mobilising first aid volunteers to assist overworked medical personnel.
“We are still assessing things, at this point we really don’t know the extent of the damage.”
UNICEF Pacific says immediate needs in Vanuatu are water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies, and psychosocial support for affected children and their families.
On social media, the organisation says the Unicef Vanuatu field office has a team of 19 staff and consultants and are already working with local authorities and partners.
It says Unicef has first aid kits, water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies, and tents prepositioned in Vanuatu and ready for immediate distribution to reach at least 3,000 people.
UNICEF has dispatched first aid kits and interagency emergency health kits to health facilities.
Pacific academic Transform Aqorau, who is currently in Port Vila, says people are shaken and scared.
He said there is no water and power in the city.
Dr Aqorau said he, and the people he is with, slept outside their rooms last night because of the fear of more shakes.
He had been looking for a shop where they might purchase water and found a closed cafe whose wifi provided a weak link, allowing him to make brief comment on Facebook.
Dr Aqorau said his heart goes out to family of those still trapped in the collapsed building.
Meanwhile, a Bay of Plenty kiwifruit company says some of its ni-Vanuatu fruit pickers are taking time off work while they try to work out if their families are safe.
Seeka has 100 ni-Vanuatu workers here as part of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme helping with summer pruning on the vines.
Its people and culture manager Shelley Aitken says the workers are still struggling to reach their families.
“They are a little shocked by the news, obviously they’re quite worried about their families and their homes back in Vanuatu. We’re working with them at the moment just to try and establish comms with their families to try and find out information about where they’re at.”
Aitken says originally scheduled to work here until February – returning home may be possible, but at this point travel is an uncertainty too.
The Vanuatu government said the airport in Port Vila is not operational, with the aircraft fuel reserve contaminated.
However, it said it is open for incoming humanitarian assistance.
The government says there is an immediate need for medical supplies and and repairs to damaged medical structures.
It said there is also an immediate need for search and rescue teams, heavy machinery for cleaning landslides and collapsed buildings, and safe drinking water.
Australia, France and New Zealand have incoming support.
