Local and area leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continue to assess damage after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
All full-time missionaries serving in the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission are safe, according to the Church’s Pacific Newsroom.
The epicenter for the earthquake was roughly 18 miles (30 kilometers) west of Port Vila, the harborside capital and main hub of Vanuatu.
The powerful tremblor caused widespread destruction, including landslides and collapsed buildings. As of Dec. 18, 14 people were killed and 200 injured, with reports of water contamination, power outages and other disruptions across the island, according to news reports.
In a statement posted on Tuesday, Dec. 18, the Pacific Area presidency — Elder Peter F. Meurs, Elder Taniela B. Wakolo and Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi, all General Authority Seventies — asked for Latter-day Saints around the world to pray for the people in Vanuatu.
Read the full statement below:
“We are deeply concerned for the people of Vanuatu in the wake of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake which struck on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. We are communicating with Church leaders and government officials on the ground to understand the impact of the disaster on our members and friends throughout Vanuatu.
“All full-time missionaries in Vanuatu are safe and accounted for.
“As we understand needs more clearly in the coming hours, we will mobilize our humanitarian efforts to provide food, water, medicine, temporary shelter and other supplies as needed. We will work with the Vanuatu Government and other organizations to contribute to the emergency response in an organized and effective manner.
“We urge Latter-day Saints throughout the world, and all people, to pray for the people of Vanuatu, seeking God’s comfort and blessing to be upon the people.
“We pray that our collective response will be swift, coordinated and exactly what is needed to alleviate suffering and foster resilience and recovery.”
Vanuatu — an archipelago of roughly 80 islands — is home to close to 12,000 Latter-day Saints in 39 congregations. The nation has its own mission, and ground was broken for a temple in Port Vila last year.
Located on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, Vanuatu is ranked among the world’s most at-risk countries for natural disasters and extreme weather events, according to Reuters.
